Briton Ben grateful for humble start in Malaysia en route to Olympics silver

PETALING JAYA: Britain’s Ben Proud is happy to give back to the country where he grew up and began his journey as a professional swimmer.

Proud, who captured silver in the 50m freestyle in the 2024 Paris Olympics, moved to Malaysia with his family when he was five months old and trained under coach Francis Kiu since he was 14.

The 30-year-old has been coming back to the country to train occasionally under Francis and this time returned to guide students at the Team Q Swimming Academy in Petaling Jaya under the Ben Proud talent pool programme yesterday.

The clinic serves as a full-circle moment for Proud, who hopes to inspire the next generation of swimmers in the same environment where his own journey began.

One for the album: Olympics swimming silver medallist Ben Proud posing with the Team Q Swimming Academy. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star

“I would not be a swimmer if I had not had my lifestyle in Malaysia growing up,” said Proud.

“I was looking to walk away from the sport when I was quite young. Then, I got the opportunity to carry on, especially when Francis opened the door for me. Without Malaysia, without my life here, I would never have gone on to do what I ended up loving so much. Now, it’s time for me to give back.

“It has been quite a long time since I could be involved in one of these clinics. During the pandemic, we had to dial things back a bit.

“After a long time, it feels good to be here. A lot of people have turned up and are excited. So, I’m happy to get to work with the guys,” added Proud.

The swim clinic was first introduced in 2017 as part of AirAsia’s ongoing commitment to youth empowerment through the Dare to Dream initiative.

Fresh off winning his first medal in his third Olympics just a month ago, Proud imparted some of his knowledge and experience to 34 students from seven to 19 years old.

“It was my third Olympics and my first medal, so it was third time lucky for me,” said Proud.

“Even at the age of 30, I’m always learning and developing. The Olympics itself was an incredible experience. I loved it and enjoyed every part of it.

“I’ve learned so much in my career. I’ve met some incredible people and I’m really lucky to be in that position where I could work with myself and now it’s time to start sharing that advice and hopefully someone will pick it up and use it for themselves.

“If there’s any one message I want to pass is be authentic to yourself, trust your instincts and just chase whatever you believe is right.

“You might have different ambitions and different ideas on what success looks like but ultimately it comes down to you and you will learn to figure out what that pathway is and kind of take it and believe in yourself and move on,” added Proud.

Among Proud’s other achievements include a gold each in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle in the World Championships and three golds in the 50m freestyle and two golds in the 50m butterfly in the Commonwealth Games.