GO GOLD Athlete in the Spotlight: Levi Codling

Swimmer Levi Codling talks about his long term goals to reach the Paralympics… and his phobia of Spiders! Let's hope there are no spiders at the Paralympics!

What is your go to pre training snack?

My pre training snack is probably a protein bar and a fruit smoothie that I make myself.

Explain your ideal weekend

My ideal weekend would be chilling on my Xbox, seeing my friends and doing activities. Of course, I also have galas almost every weekend and achieving personal bests and getting medals is also great.

What would be your dream job if not a professional athlete and why?

If I wasn't a professional athlete I would do graphical design, especially working with game design, because it looks really interesting and I think it pays quite well.

What is your long-term goal in your sport? How do you plan to achieve this?

My long-term goal in my sport is to pursue my dream of going to the Paralympics and being the best I can be and I plan to train hard in every session, listen to all the coach's advice and in every race improve everything that I could do better.

What is your favourite 'cheat meal' when not following your training diet?

To be honest I don't really have a 'cheat meal' because my diet is so mixed and because I burn so much in a training session I will just gain it back with anything I eat.

Have you got any phobias? Or pet peeves?

My phobias are spiders and flies, I honestly hate them! And my pet peeve is when some swimmer decides to swim slowly and then when they feel like going fast to get to the front of the lane, just sprint to get to the front of the lane.

If you were to win the lottery, what would you spend the money on?

A nice house, a nice car, I'll give some to my family and charity and put the rest to something that I like.

What is your favourite holiday destination and why?

Orlando or Maldives because they're both amazing places and there are a lot of cool activity's to do there.

Do you have any non-sport related talents? Or any talents you would like to improve?

Gaming- practice a lot and to be more confident.

If you could play any other sport, what would it be and why?

Diving because I'd be incredibly flexible and be able to do multiple flips off the diving boards.

Who is your role model and why?

Michael Phelps because he achieved everything and he was the greatest swimmer alive and I want to be like him but just the para version.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your 18/15/12 year old self?

Keep yourself motivated and the success will come.

What major tournaments have you taken part in/ will be taking part in in the last / next 3 months? Tell us about it! (vlog / blog)

Major tournaments I've taken part in this year are the CP World Games in Barcelona, International meet in Sheffield and the Nationals also in Sheffield. I will be taking part in the Winter Nationals in Manchester, the Junior Nationals in Liverpool and if I can the British Swimming Championships in Glasgow.