I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn't change anything.

Swimming is my passion and something that I love. Going out there in the water, it feels as if there's nothing wrong with me. I go out there and train as hard as anybody else. I have the same dreams, the same goals. It doesn't matter if you look different. You're still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.

I am always late because people stop me for autographs and say hi.

I don't think of myself as being disabled, or able-bodied.

To be here, is a dream come true. A dream is something that you set for yourself, not what other people set for you. When I qualified in Seville I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that I was going to the Olympic Games.

When you are racing in an able-bodied competition, you're all equal and you go out there and try your best, and that's what counts.

Going out there in the water, it feels as if there's nothing wrong with me.