In 2004 my parents saw on TV a Paralympic swimmer with a limb difference just like me…that was it…I was sentenced to a swim trial at a local pool! …fast forward to 2008 and countless chlorinated hours later I was the youngest athlete to represent Portugal in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. It’s a particular experience to have had that much exposure to coaching and competing at such a young age, I was unusually engaged with the process and really wanted to understand the principles behind the prevailing swimming training methodologies. Yet, disillusioned by the system and ready for change, I stopped swimming, became an unapologetic Les Mills group class super fan and headed to Manchester for university. Whilst studying, I enjoyed coaching swimming for Manchester Triathlon club and Northern Wave (a community focused LGBT+ swim club). I then came back to swimming on my own terms and raced at the Rio 2016 Paralympic’s (a highlight was dancing with Ivete Sangalo at the closing ceremony, if you know you know.)
Informed by my background as a Data Scientist, I recently took my interest in sport science a step further with a Level 4 Strength & Conditioning, Level 1 CrossFit and Level 1 British Weightlifting. I’m currently working towards a MSc in Strength, Conditioning and Coaching with ALTIS. My research interests focus on load monitoring and neuromuscular readiness in sprint athletes, examining how we can better assess fatigue and recovery to optimise performance.
I hope to bring to Valesco a passion for quality movement, and an open mind as to what will help you enjoy exercise, lots of cheerleading and a sprinkling of Brazilian funk. It’s not all team kit and PBs, my in-betweens were hard and retiring tumultuous. For ages I put off going to a functional fitness gym, I was daunted by not being able to keep up with the class whilst adapting and learning new skills. Unmotivated by years of regular inactivity, it was only when Valesco opened V2 that I begrudgingly gave it a go. The functional fitness format that Valesco offers gave me the novelty and environment I needed to enjoy movement again. In that sense, I appreciate that just turning up can be something to celebrate.
