James Crisp

For the Welsh cricketer, see James Crisp (cricketer).

James Crisp

Personal information
Born	(1982-10-11) 11 October 1982 Nottingham
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
Country	United Kingdom
Sport	Paralympic swimming
Club	City of Sheffield
Coached by	Russ Barber
Medal record Paralympic Games Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 100 m backstroke (S9) Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 200 m individual medley (SM9) Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 4x100 m freestyle relay (34pts) Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly (S9) Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 4x100 m medley relay (34pts) Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 400 m freestyle (S9) Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 100 m backstroke (S9) Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 100 m breaststroke (SB8) Silver medal – second place 2012 London 100 m backstroke (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 400 m freestyle (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 200 m individual medley (SM9) IPC Swimming World Championships Gold medal – first place 1998 Christchurch 100 m backstroke (S9) Gold medal – first place 1998 Christchurch 200 m individual medley (SM9) Gold medal – first place 2002 Mar del Plata 400 m freestyle (S9) Gold medal – first place 2002 Mar del Plata 100 m backstroke (S9) Gold medal – first place 2002 Mar del Plata 100 m breaststroke (SB8) Gold medal – first place 2002 Mar del Plata 200 m individual medley (SM9) Gold medal – first place 2002 Mar del Plata 4x100 m medley relay (34pts) Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 400 m freestyle (S9) Silver medal – second place 2006 Durban 4x100 m medley relay (34pts) Silver medal – second place 2010 Eindhoven 100 m backstroke (S9) Silver medal – second place 2015 Glasgow 100 m backstroke (S9) Bronze medal – third place 1998 Christchurch 400 m freestyle (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2002 Mar del Plata 100 m butterfly (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2002 Mar del Plata 400 m freestyle (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2006 Durban 200 m individual medley (SM9) Bronze medal – third place 2006 Durban 100 m backstroke (S9) Bronze medal – third place 2010 Eindhoven 400 m freestyle (S9) IPC Swimming European Championships Gold medal – first place 2016 Funchal 100 m backstroke – S9

James Crisp (born 11 October 1982 in Nottingham) is a British swimmer. He has won gold medals in the Paralympic Games as well as the IPC world and European championships, breaking numerous records in the process. He competes in S9 classification events after having contracted polio as a child.

Personal life

Crisp was born on 11 October 1982 in Nottingham. He contracted polio as a child through vaccination and was encouraged to take up swimming as a form of physiotherapy. He moved to Sheffield to study at university and became a member of the City of Sheffield Swim Squad (COSSS), training at Ponds Forge.

Swimming career

Crisp competes in S9 swimming events and has won medals in all the different competitive swimming strokes. He holds a number of British and European records across a range of different strokes and lengths. He has won world championship titles in the freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and the individual medley as well as being part of the 2002 championship-winning 4x100 m relay team.

Paralympic Games

To date Crisp has won twelve Paralympic medals. Seven of the medals were awarded at the 2000 Summer Paralympics including individual golds in the 100 m backstroke and the 200 m individual medley. He was also part of the victorious 4x100 m freestyle relay team alongside Jody Cundy, Giles Long, David Roberts, Matt Walker and Marc Woods. At the 2004 Games Crisp won four individual medals, including three silvers, with all four events being in different stroke styles.

In what he has described as the most difficult time of his 14-year career Crisp missed out on the 2008 Games due to a shoulder injury.

IPC World and European championships

Crisp has achieved significant success in the IPC Swimming World Championships, winning sixteen medals. He claimed two golds in 1998, five in 2002, and one in 2006. He has also seen many victories in the European Championships, winning three golds in 1999, four in 2001, and one in 2011. He has been on the podium thirteen times at the European events.