Aussie Rowan Crothers’ goal to swim faster than any Paralympic swimmer has done before

Australian swim star Rowan Crothers is on a quest to do what no para-swimmer has done before - break the 50 second barrier in the 100 metres.

Rowan Crothers aims to go to another level in Paris. Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Rowan Crothers wants to achieve something no para-swimmer has before.

The Australian star is dreaming of breaking the 50-second barrier in the 100m freestyle at the Paralympic Games.

Ukrainian Maksym Krypak’s time of 50.64s is the fastest by an athlete across all para-swimming classifications.

Krypak narrowly beat Crothers in the 100m S10 event at Tokyo 2020 when he set the record.

Crothers did win gold in the 50m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay but the heartbreak of three years ago is driving him in Paris.

“I swam really well in the 50 freestyle and I was in really good form there but I lost a little bit of weight and let a few other things get back into my head back then. But this time I’m not going to let that happen,” he said.

“No one with a disability has ever swum below 50 seconds and to be the first athlete with disability to do that I think would be pretty damn cool.

“But I see it as a metaphor in a kind of way that as people with disability we spend our lives breaking down different barriers just to get any type of access or involvement in society as a whole.

“50 seconds to me is just another barrier we can break.”

Crothers is favourite in the 10mm S10 event. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Crothers will be the red hot favourite heading into Sunday’s race after winning gold at the World Para Championships last year.

And his rivals are set to meet a 26-year-old who is hitting his peak.

“I’m in the best form I’ve been in my entire swimming career,” he said.

“I say this because more than anything physical, I am just so happy. I love swimming so much, I love it more than I ever have before.

“I am in really good physical form as well – the best amount of muscle mass I’ve ever had and I’ve just got a great team of people around me.

“We’ve all locked in, we’ve put our eggs in this basket to see how great we can go.”

The third Paralympics campaign of Crothers’ career will start on Thursday AEST when he aims to defend his 50m freestyle S10 title.

And his battle with fellow Aussie Thomas Gallagher is shaping as one of the highlights of night one in the pool.

“I’ve been saying to old Tommy Gallagher for the past couple of years now is the type of rivalry I want to have is, yeah we’re racing for ourselves but we’re racing for Australia.

“As long as one of us gets gold, one of us gets silver, I’m happy as Larry.

“If that means if we get up and race and he touches me out, that’s going to be absolutely incredible for him and I would be so excited for him.

“At the end of the day, we’re not just competitors, we’re teammates.”

The 50m freestyle S10 final is scheduled for the early hours of Friday morning.

Originally published as Aussie Rowan Crothers’ goal to swim faster than any Paralympic swimmer has done before