From small beginnings big things grow, and Michael Anderson is now a Paralympic medallist. A country boy at heart, Michael grew up in the northern New South Wales town of Bellingen and has lived an easy going life. Whenever the opportunity arose, he could be found at the beach relaxing with his friends. But never did he realise his affinity with the water would result in Paralympic success.

Michael won a silver medal at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships in the 100m backstroke. At his first Paralympic Games in Beijing, he again won a silver medal in the 100m backstroke, a performance of which he is very proud. “It was just short of what I was aiming for – gold. But silver is the next best thing and I’m very happy with my performance,” he said.

Since Beijing, Michael has maintained an impressive level of performance, turning in a fantastic meet at the 2009 Australian Short Course Championships in Hobart. He became the first Paralympic swimmer in history to go under the one minute mark in the 100m backstroke and also recorded personal bests in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

Outside swimming, Michael is quite the daredevil and has a passion for adventure that motivates him to explore exotic countries. He has been swimming with great white sharks, has backpacked around Asia and is in the process of learning to surf. He is now based on the Gold Coast, where he is completing his Bachelor in Sports Management at Griffith University.

Michael is in good form in the prelude to London 2012, winning gold in the 100m backstroke at the Winter Can AM event in the US. He is aiming to repeat this gold medal performance in London before undertaking two shoulder reconstructions after the Games finish.