'Authenticity and staying true to oneself is the secret to success,' says Proud. Photos: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Some say that success is guaranteed if you continue to work hard. In the life of Olympic swimmer Ben Proud, those words definitely ring true.
Hailing from Plymouth, Britain, Proud was just five months old when his parents decided to move to Malaysia.
“My father worked in interior design in his own company and my mother was an artist,” he says.
“She lives in London now but my father still has a place in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur so I try to visit him from time to time.”
It was during his travels to various parts of South-East Asia that Proud found his interest in swimming.
“I just love being in the water, whether it be snorkelling or scuba diving, it is the best place to be in,” he shares.
From interest to ambition
'Authenticity and staying true to oneself is the secret to success,' says Proud.
When Proud was around 14 years old, he started participating in swimming lessons to develop his passion into a proper skill.
Despite the lessons however, the young Englishman still had no interest in turning his fun-filled swim sessions into a serious one.
“I had no interest in becoming a professional swimmer. I remember watching my teammates take proper training lessons but thinking that they weren’t for me,” he recalls.
Proud’s outlook on competitive swimming changed when his coach Francis Kiu opened the doors to this career by encouraging him to view the lessons differently.
Kiu would advise the young swimmer to sharpen his skills so that it will be useful for future tournaments.
“It was a belief that he instilled in us. We don’t train to train, we train to race,” Proud says.
The mentee and his mentor still keep in touch to this day, with Kiu flying to Paris to watch Proud’s swimming performance live at the 2024 Olympics.
During his visits to Malaysia, Proud also meets up with his former coach for some good old-fashioned swimming lessons.
“I still like to take pieces of what I’ve learned back then into what I do today because I believe it works for me,” he says.
From ambition to success
Before winning the very heavy silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Proud made his first tournament debut at Rio in 2016 and like many athletes, he aspired to make his country proud by bringing home a medal.
However, this dream evaded him in not just his first Olympics but also his second one in Tokyo 2020.
Being so close to victory yet so far away at the same time depleted Proud’s energy and it nearly caused him to quit the sport altogether.
Despite feeling confused and downtrodden, the swimmer says that his love for swimming ultimately pushed him to move forward with his career.
Olympic swimmer Proud with his silver medal.
“I think this goes for all career paths as well, there’s always going to be love and hate,” he says.
Proud then travelled to Turkiye where he was based prior to the Covid-19 pandemic to rest and reprogramme himself after the Olympics.
“I believed it was the right thing to do and that really helped me carry on,” he adds.
The 30-year-old’s motivation for competing in the Olympics was not only his passion for performing but also showcasing his abilities to his friends and family.
“I wanted to show them that I was capable and that has pushed me to where I am today.”
The path to victory
Although the path to success was challenging for Proud, the swimmer believes that success itself is not impossible to achieve.
“It is important to chase what you love because it is only going to make you happy,” he says.
During the swim clinic held in Petaling Jaya on Sept 27, he encouraged the young participants “to stay true to themselves”.
“It’s easy to idolise someone on social media these days and like what they like but I think focusing on what you want is better for you,” he shares.
Proud also thinks that letting kids follow their passions in life helps them develop a sense of self-belief, similar to the belief he had as a teenager when he wanted to compete in swimming.
“Do what is going to drive you because the fire that you have inside will always push you to be the best version of yourself,” he concludes.
'Authenticity and staying true to oneself is the secret to success,' says Proud. Photos: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Olympic swimmer Proud with his silver medal.
Proud explains how he managed to stay afloat after losing his motivation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
