Maritzburg College, Pietermaritzburg, is very proud of Martin Binedell (2013) who competed in the 200m backstroke at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Martin finished 2nd in his heat in 1:58:47.
Sadly his time was not fast enough to qualify for the semi finals.
Why Martin got into swimming:
As a kid Martin was very overweight and insecure. His parents gave him the option between karate and swimming as a sport outside of school to help lose weight and build his self esteem.
Focusing on the aspects of swimming keeps him going, especially in these hard and uncertain times. The love for the sport keeps him going. He loves being in the water, active, healthy and testing himself in training.
The best advice Martin would like to give to youngsters interesting in swimming is to be patient, focus on technique and have fun. A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer and a key part to swimming is efficiency.
Apart from swimming Martin loves being active and social. His hobbies include surfing, golf, gaming, fishing and shooting.
Well done Martin – the #RedBlackWhite are proud of you!
Photos supplied