Giles Long is one of the most successful and respected swimmers of our generation. At the age of 13, Giles was diagnosed with cancer. The tumour in his arm meant that his aspirations of going to the Olympics were shattered. Despite the apparent end of his career, Giles continued to do what he loves.
Thanks to his perseverance, he hit the international paralympic swimming circuit and gained success in France, Sweden and Malta. Receiving his first sponsorship, Giles was able to continue swimming, whilst also keep up his studies at Leeds University.
All of Giles’ training paid off, when he broke his first World Record at the age of 17. In 1996, his extraordinary success continued when he qualified for the 100m Butterfly at the Atlanta Paralympics. He ranked No. 1.
At the Sydney Paralympics in 2000, Giles won Gold and set yet another World Record. By 2007, Giles Long retired from professional sport and began writing for the Daily Telegraph. The following year he published his first book, Changing To Win. A gripping and inspirational read, it was a hit amongst his fanbase.
Since then, Giles has been lucky enough to present the IPC World Swimming Championships and host the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. He has also presented That Paralympic Show, The BT Paralympic World Cup and the European Wheelchair Fencing Championships, from Sheffield.
In 2012, Giles was given an Honorary Doctorate of Science for his creation of the LEXI – a Paralympic classification aid. Today, Giles is a reporter for Watchdog, a writer for Channel 4 News and has upcoming work with The Independent.
