Swimmer, 84, wins seven medals at Abu Dhabi event
· Yahoo Sports
An 84-year-old man who has swum the English Channel 33 times shows no sign of slowing down after returning home from a competition with a hoard of medals.
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Michael Read, who lives in Ipswich, competed in the international multi-sport event, the Open Masters Games, in Abu Dhabi.
The athlete, who started swimming aged 14, won five gold medals and two silvers in his age group.
"It was a lovely venue, nice and warm, and the people were so unbelievably friendly - it was a great experience," he said.
Read returned home having proved victorious in the 5km open water, 400m and 200m individual medley, and 800m and 400m freestyle races.
He secured silver in the 100m and 200m freestyle events.
The Open Masters Games, which ran between 6 and 15 February, described itself as the largest mass-participation sporting event in the region, bringing together more than 25,000 competitors across 38 sports.
Also known as the King of the Channel, Read had already won gold in the 3km open water swim event at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore last year.
"Every day is a new adventure, I love competing and I like meeting friends, and it's nice when people say I inspired them," he added.
"There were schoolchildren there and I hope they were inspired, as I was inspired all those years ago when I was 14."
Read returned home from the international competition with a hoard of medals around his neck [Shaun Whitmore/BBC]Read got into swimming when he joined Brighton Swimming Club before, five years later, making the team for the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
But just days before he was due to get in the water, he crashed while riding a Lambretta bike, which ruled him out of the competition.
Since then, however, he has been appointed MBE for his services to swimming and become a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Despite his age, he remains as committed to his passion as ever, going to Crown Pools in Ipswich every day and regularly taking part in competitions.
"I'm very grateful and that's why I'm happy to do whatever I can to promote a new generation of young swimmers," he said.
"I don't think [I'll ever stop swimming]. I've now got to have new ambitions – possibly a second world championship."
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