Fox student swims at Paralympic worlds in Brazil

All Nathan Stein really wanted were swim googles.

He enjoyed splashing around recreationally in pool water and got tired of chlorine constantly stinging his eyes, so he approached his parents. They said yes –– under one condition. Nathan had to join a swim club.

The goggles worked. So did the swim club.

Now a 17-year-old Terry Fox secondary school student, Stein (pronounced Steen) has his vision clearly on Rio de Janerio, Brazil, site of the 2009 world Paralympic short-course swimming championships, which run Nov. 29 to Dec. 5.

"I'm excited and very, very scared," said Stein, who's admittedly nervous as he readies for his first international competition after qualifying for the worlds at last summer's CAN AM Paralympic Games in Edmonton.

A Maple Ridge native who transferred to Fox last year, Stein joined the Haney Neptunes swim club three years ago, then transferred to the Surrey Knights last year along with his coach, Reg Shaw.

Stein was born with a severe bone deficiency in his left leg, one that despite an extensive operation has severely limited his range of motion and, thus, allowed him Paralympic athlete status nine months ago. His event specialty is the 100-metre breaststroke, in which he finished a close second to current Canadian record holder Benoit Huot, 25, of Montreal at the CAN AMs.

"Swimming is the only thing [athletically] I'm allowed to do," said Stein, who is also considered a provinical-calibre able-bodied swimmer in the freestyle and butterfly disciplines. "No running, no jumping... I'm not even allowed to walk more than 150 yards at a time."

Stein, who also competes with the Ravens swim team at Fox, trains nine sessions per week with the Knights, including two-a-days on Mondays and Wednesdays. His skill and tenacity have brought him a long way in a relatively short spell, says Shaw, who envisions great things in the the near future for his ace pool pupil.

"I expect him to be in the top there [in Brazil], that's our goal," Shaw said. "By July, I expect him to break a new Canadian record."

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