FEATURE
SEnine
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Youngest Channel Swim in History
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I was very apprehensive when I stood
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on the shore in France
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One
of the most and attitude were both right.
extraordinary and The club specialised in long
courageous feats by an Eltham
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distance swimming but when
resident will have its 20th Thomas, newly arrived with his
anniversary on September 6. family in Beechhill Road, walked
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Putting his toes into the in to join them at Eltham Baths,
water near Cap Gris Nez on the he was capable of only the rawest
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coast of northern France in the of doggy-paddles.
early morning half-light, Thomas John Bullett was to become his
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Gregory was to start the swim mentor, a man he trusted implicitly,
which was to change his life. an inspiration and a person with
22 Eleven year old Thomas had ambitions above the normal for his
been summoned from his desk at charges in the club.
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Colfe’s School at 10am the previous Already a club member,
day to be told to start preparing Marcus Hooper, held the record
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for a challenge that had been four for the youngest Channel
years in the making. swimmer. But John Bullett’s
Weeks previously, a marathon single-minded dedication, which
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swimmer more than twice his contributed to his early death at
age had died of hyperthermia 52 years in 1989, drove him on,
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attempting the pulling Thomas in his wake.
Everything came
Channel crossing, Thomas was the keenest of
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having lost pupils, enjoying the near daily
together at the
consciousness routine of training with Bullett,
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right time to
ten times but supervisor at Eltham Baths, even
make that swim
urged on by her opening up on Bank Holidays.
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coach. Thomas loved the camaraderie
and my record a
He knew of the club, the banter, the devised. At each stage, Thomas
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that nine out teamwork and the camps. And passed the tests set for him. A
of ten channel the inexorable tide of thought complete return journey from
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attempts ended which led him and his coach one end to the other of England’s
in failure and, if he was to towards the belief that an 11 year longest inland lake, Windermere,
succeed, he would become the old boy could swim more than proved his capability and set in
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youngest person ever to make 30 miles across one of the world’s motion the inevitable countdown
a passage which had been first busiest shipping lanes, beating to the Channel.
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achieved by Cpt Matthew Webb the cold, the pain and exhaustion But arranging a successful
in 1875 and only 330 others in to become a national hero. crossing requires a precise
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the intervening years. “John had quickly picked me combination of tides,
Looking back, Thomas out as an ideal candidate and he temperature and weather. And
48 described himself then as both used all sorts of psychological behind every successful Channel
‘chubby’ and ‘cheeky’. It was manoeuvres to make it happen”, swim, there is a whole team,
probably those characteristics said Thomas. including a trawler skipper in
which brought him to the Between the ages of eight and charge of the support boat with
attention of the head coach of the eleven, a programme of training, a medic, observer, coaches and
Eltham Training and Swimming which included ever greater club members on board.
Club, John Bullett. The physique distances in ever colder water, was On the swim, no physical
Be a good neighbour
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