Paralympic swimmer Nathan Hendricks aims for top five spot at World Championships

JOHANNESBURG - Following a great performance at the SA National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha, Para-swimmer Nathan Hendricks is now aiming for top-five placements in his events at the World Para Swimming Championships in September.

“I am ecstatic with my performance at nationals. Five out of 7 of my races were new PBs (Personal Best), so I’m super chuffed with that,” said Hendricks.

Singapore will host the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships from 21 to 27 September 2025, marking the first time the World Championships will be held in Asia.

Talking to Eyewitness News, the Paralympian said his swimming technique still needed a few adjustments.

“I’d say that I need to fix my technique a bit more and need to work on fixing my underwater and all the finer details in my swims. And I’m hoping to get sponsorships that can help me with the funding for events.”

The 19-year-old debuted at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, where he was in action in four finals.

PARALYMPICS 2024: Swimmer Nathan Hendricks advances to the final in the men's S13 100m backstroke

At 18 years old, at that time, the S13 swimmer from Middelburg, Mpumalanga, was one of the youngest Team SA members in Paris.

“This year, I’m hoping to become top 5 in a few of my events at World Champs and see how much I can improve in my swims.”

S13 means athletes have the least severe vision impairment eligible for Paralympic sports. They have the highest visual acuity and/or a visual field of less than 20 degrees radius.

He was diagnosed with diabetes as a baby, and then diagnosed with Stargardt disease, macular dystrophy at the age of 12, a genetic eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss, mainly affecting central vision loss.

"I lost my eyesight. Well, I was diagnosed when I was 12 years old, but I did have eye problems before then, so I could have been 10 years old."