Mighty Blue swimmer Henry Hughes, who is a profoundly deaf athlete, has taken another stroke towards his strive for greatness and his dreams of becoming a champion swimmer.
Henry, a member of KRB Aquatics, proudly represented Australia at the 2023 World Deaf Swimming Championships held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from August 14th to August 19th, 2023.
As the only deaf swimmer from New South Wales on the team, Henry assumed the role of Team Captain for the Australian Deaf Swimming Team, known as the Australian Seals. Under his leadership, the team achieved its most remarkable medal collection since the 2005 Melbourne Deaflympics. All six team members secured medals, in addition to achieving personal bests, and even setting a new world record while under Henry’s leadership. Personally, at the event Henry earned two bronze medals in the 4 x 200m Freestyle Men’s Relay and the 4 x 100m Individual Medley Men’s Relay.
This is a significant achievement as the Deaflympics, originating in 1924 as the International Silent Games, have now evolved into a global platform that goes beyond sports. These games were founded by Eugène Rubens-Alcais, who envisioned it to challenge misconceptions about the deaf community, these games marked the first international competition for individuals with disabilities and the second globally competed games after the modern Olympics and Paralympics. Today, the Deaflympics are distinguished by their unique governance structure, solely managed by deaf individuals, and have expanded to include 116 national federations.
In a display of ambition and determination, Henry aims to surpass his own expectations in life. He seeks to prove to the world that “a deaf boy can do it” and intends to lead by example through his actions, whether that occurs within the swimming pool, his advocacy efforts, or his interpersonal relationships.
With this ambition Henry envisions in growing a presence of S15 swimmers from NSW in future Australian Deaf Swimming Teams, as the team expands and prepares for the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for November 2025.
“It was amazing to see the diversity of Deaf swimmers around the world come together and compete on the world stage. Meeting fellow international friends and new Australian Seals on the team was the highlight of the trip, as it was a glimpse of the re-emergence of the Deaflympics on the global stage. I hope to see a Deaflympic Pathway for Deaf (S15) created so more NSW and Australian Seals can make their debuts on the international stage, hopefully at the first chance at the 2025 Deaflympics.”
