Brian Clough

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at The age of 11, Tom Gregory was driven to be the youngest person to swim the ever the English Channel , of an exceptional Trainer. It is a little-heralded power of endurance, are not improved.

It is 05:00 and was on 6. September 1988, and Tom Gregory stood on the top of France. Behind him, his Trainer John ball was. In front of him, the large black was the English Channel . Tom , in swimming trunks, stood in the water. To was Out There , somewhere, home.

John went to his car. He took a block of fat from the footwell and in The Glow of the spotlight, rubbed it in Tom 's skin. On the water, a light appeared in the darkness. A small boat came to The Shore . Tom pulled his cap and goggles, and went in the channel. He followed the boat, and when it got too deep, he began to swim. He didn't stop for 12 hours.

Tom was 11 years Old .

Tom Gregory moved to Eltham, south-east London, when he was six. His cousins were in The Local swimming Club , so he and his older sister, Anna, joined as well. Most of The Swimmers , says Tom , were the lands from The Council , surrounded the pool.

"It was very earthy," he says. "Almost all of the children were older. I was horrified. "

I think John was looking for someone to break Another World record. He saw this chubby boy, and I thought - he looks like the kind of kidTom Gregory, channel-swimmers, The Club was led by John ball, the manager of The Local pool. He could be difficult - the "Old School , such as Brian Clough ," says Tom . But he changed the lives of the people.

" He used to boast - and That was to Remember in the 1980s-That No One who had been through, his Club was unemployed," says Tom . "By all standard, he was a world-class coach, and he was in London from a Council-pool in the south-east. He took children from the estates and helped them do amazing things. "

Eltham is less than 70 miles from Dover, and The Club 's forte was swimming the channel. From 1972 to 1988, In the year 1979, a 12-year-Old from The Club , Marcus Hooper, was swimming the youngest person ever to cross the English Channel . John soon its sights, as well as, low.

"In retrospect, I think That John was looking for someone to break Another World record," says Tom . "He saw this chubby, gregarious, slightly naughty seven-year-Old boy and thought, he looks like the kind of kid. "

at the age of eight, Tom swam a mile in width, Windermere in the Lake District , chosen because of its similarity to the channel (deep, cold and choppy). A year later, he has half of a length (about 5. 5 km) and in the summer of 1987 he graduated from the full-length, at the age of 10.

From This Time , says Tom , Eltham Training and Swimming Club was a "movement".

"It was More Than a Club - it was everyone's life. People say, 'you had Parents must have to be Intrusive - But nothing could be further from The Truth . You are beautiful people. You just looked from the side, with a mixture of fear and amazement. "

After the swim, Windermere, Tom preparing for the canal began. This meant That the months of sacrifice, both in and out of the pool.

"people die, during the channel swim and they do usually die of hypothermia," says Tom . "If you can handle the cold, you're halfway there. "

channel achievement from Christmas 1987, swimming, Tom didn't touch the Hot Water . All of the showers and bathrooms were cold. In the spring of 1988, he was asleep under a sheet, with The Window open. Summer, he swam a length and a half from Windermere.

"After That , I knew it was on," says Tom . "John had me to The Point where I believed it was possible. It is a burning ambition was to convey. "

On the evening of the 5. In September, he headed for Dover, fueled by a "tray of mom's shepherd's pie". On the late-night ferry to France, he and John a fry-up had.

"This is The Days before the Sports Nutrition products", says Tom .

they drove in the darkness to Cap Gris Nez, the closest point of France to England. Tom entered the water and followed the small boat to a fishing trawler, which would lead him across the channel.

Though Cap Gris Nez is only 20 miles from Dover, Tom distance was 32 km of channel swimmers follow a "S" shape, because of the tides.

" To begin, it is an uneasy feeling," he says. "It is dark, there is a swell. You have this real sense of "32 miles'. There is a real fear of failure. "

But he got out quickly. By The Middle of the third, Tom says, he was "on it".

"I knew I was swimming fast. We have well over half in less than five hours, so we were swimming in a under-10-hours -. This year, I think you gave me a Rolex watch for the fastest swim, never mind the youngest. "

Before long, Tom the White cliffs of Dover saw. But they were almost a Mirage.

"I Remember The Narrow band of white on the horizon," he says. "And every time I looked, it did not closer. It is mental torture. I kept my head down in the gaps kept as long as possible, But they never got closer. And That 's when The Pain sets in. "

His shoulder blades, he says, felt like they were rubbing together on his back. His legs burned. His body began to shut down.

"you know, That warm and cozy feeling before you fall asleep? It is what it is. You start drifting off, And Then you are startled by Something - a fog horn, or the thud of the engine or the smell of diesel. At one point, I Remember a hovercraft comes over, and it made me jump really. You lose all track of the overall situation. "

For most of the swim, Tom saw That John, when he stopped for the digestive biscuits and bottles of warm Tomato Soup . But in the last third, John's Eye Contact and didn't Let Go .

John ball (left) speaks with Tom while swimming, "He knew That I had to limit The Pain ," says Tom . "For me, he was encouraging, But it was miserable. It feels like depression. At one point I was whiny. But I was too scared to stop. Not afraid of anyone - only fear of not completed. "

at some point, the White cliffs was a poet. As they approached The Shore , the trawler stopped, and John jumped in the small boat to lead Tom home.

"It's strange - I would be so exhausted, But for the last five or 10 Minutes , I drifted toward The Shore . It was like I was on autopilot. I Remember John in the invitation to tender just shout " Go! Go! Go!'"

Tom went in the direction of Shakespeare Cliff, a pebble beach to The West of Dover. About 20 people, including his Parents , to observe were. Finally, Tom Kiesel saw the stones. For the First Time since the Cap Gris Nez, it was land beneath his feet.

He put a foot down. Then in the other. He stopped swimming.

He managed, from France to England in 11 hours and 54 minutes. He was 11 years and 336 days alt. No One has done it younger, and nobody ever will. In November 2000, the Channel Swimming Association year from the attempt of crossing prohibited to under 16.

Tom Gregory , with John ball (centre right with hat) ", When I reached The Shore , I was a couple of notches up from compos mentis," he says. "I was dazed, confused. I was in cold water for 12 hours, with a high rate of effort. I had you had said That you would have three steps, without assistance, to reach land, otherwise you will get not made it. But I could not get up. I was on my knees.

"were These steps is hugely important. It's Neil Armstrong moment. In the end, I was three steps, and I sat down. I Remember as I was surrounded by people hugging me. "

After the warm up, Tom and John drove to the trawler to Folkestone Harbour , where television crews were waiting (only the Evening Standard made it, for Shakespeare cliff).

He entered the ITN-and Blue Peter , where he badge is a gold-("excellent-in exceptional cases-for an "outstanding achievement"). He was even in the New York Times.

"But , once the excitement has died down, I didn't really talk about it," says Tom . "John didn't want to, That I have a big head. "

Tom , now 39, went on to the University And Then Sandhurst, becoming an officer in The Royal Anglian Regiment. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now works for the accounting firm Deloitte, lives in Surrey with his wife and Daughter .

Tom Gregory today: "I still swim, But not enough as I should. Adult routines somehow Get In the Way . "After swimming the English Channel , John and Tom the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the South-west of Scotland, as well as the river Thames, and a relay swim discussed, The Lakes , traveling between them on the helicopter. There is also talk of Olympic training.

If John ball lived today, he would always Unsung Hero Award at The Sports personality of the YearTom Gregory, And Then , five months After Tom broke died the record, John. He was 50.

"was He in the bathrooms, five o'clock in The Morning , as usual, and he had a stroke," says Tom . "He has never recovered. He went to the hospital and there is a constant procession of people was on his bed. The children he helped over The Years - Families , whose lives he had changed. People who loved him.

"For me, it was like the loss of a father. It has ruined me. I spent so much time with him. I Remember , in the school, sing a song, and burst into Tears . "

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Source of news: bbc.com