Daniel Bell

Daniel Bell’s ability to deal with life’s obstacles has led him to become an inspiration in his home town of Geelong. At 23, he has won a swag of medals, including a gold in the 4×100m medley relay and two silver medals in the 100m breaststroke and 100m butterfly at the Paralympics in Athens.

But Daniel’s accomplishments extend outside the pool. In 2004 he won an Order of Australia and had his picture placed on a set of hero stamps. But Daniel’s most prized achievement was when he won the 2003 People’s Choice Award, a swimmer’s popularity contest, in which he beat his role model Michael Klim.

Daniel has never let his disability get in his way. He has completed Hospitality Certificate one and two and currently works in deliveries for Heritage Meats. He also trains with an able-bodied squad under the guidance of coach, Lucky Werrakkody and competes with them at state level.

A member of the world record breaking 4×100m medley team that won gold at the 2006 World Championships, Daniel is currently in the best form of his career. Narrowly missing out on gold in the 100m butterfly in Athens, he will be chasing one in Beijing.