Lyndon powers ahead with Paralympic preparations (From The Northern Echo)

Lyndon won two gold medals at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge at the weekend

9:08am Monday 23rd November 2009 in Limbs For Lyndon By Rachel Wearmouth

LYNDON LONGHORNE was among the disabled swimmers who triumphed at a national competition at the weekend.

The Paralympic hopeful from Crook, County Durham, won two gold medals at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge, and achieved a personal best.

Lyndon, 13, is being considered for the World Class Development Programme, which could help him realise his dream to compete at London 2012.

His mother, Tammy Shevels, said: “He has done really well, he’s quite pleased with himself.

“He is just so quick, I was watching him catch up with everyone else.

“He’s had a really good year and a really good week. He’s especially pleased with his 59.25 second personal best for the 50m freestyle.”

Lyndon has another reason to celebrate as he prepares to travel to private specialist clinic Dorset Orthopaedic tomorrow to collect his new artificial legs.

The £10,000 to buy them was raised by Northern Echo readers and Durham County Council chairman Brian Myers after the Limbs For Lyndon appeal was launched earlier this year.

“He is so excited,” said Mrs Shevels.

Gateshead’s Eleni Papadopoulos, 17, was the biggest success story of the Disability Sport Event at Sheffield, smashing the British 100m butterfly record as well as the European 50m.

Eleni’s dream of making London 2012 could also soon become a reality as her teammates watched her clock up six gold medals.

Samantha Neill, 14, from Gateshead, also picked up three gold medals and is being considered for the talent programme alongside Lyndon.

Matthew Loftus, 12, won gold for the 50m breaststroke and Josef Craig, 12, and Steven Gordon, 21, also took home silver and bronze.

Jo Barber, regional development coach for disabled swimming, said: “The whole team have competed very, very well.

“Every swimmer, and there are 14 in the team, has performed fantastically. They have achieved personal bests and they have all put everything into it.

“They gave exceptional performances and are great ambassadors for the sport and for the region.”

■ A sponsored swim by Wear Valley Amateur Swimming Club looks likely to have raised about £2,000 for the Limbs For Lyndon campaign, which is now aiming to pay £25,000 for a bionic arm for the teenager.