Paul Hopfensperger - Solo & Relay Channel Swimmer

Paul began swimming at the age of four, when his mother entered him into the one width freestyle at the annual Bury St Edmunds Swimming Club, club championships in 1967. Prior to the race, he approached Sir Eldon Griffiths, who was then the MP for Bury St Edmunds, and looking at the very large silverware on display, asked: "Which is the one for the one width freestyle?". Paul then proceeded to come in a very creditable last position! He has since got better than that, winning his first trophy in 1973 at the age of 10 and was 14/15 years old Suffolk Age Group Champion at 100 Metres Backstroke, Suffolk County record holder for 100 Meters Freestyle, Suffolk Schools Champion at 100 Metres Freestyle and Backstroke in 1978 and Suffolk Open Champion at 100 Metres Freestyle in 1983. He was club captain on three separate occasions, and represented Suffolk on many occasions.

In 2006, having been 'retired' for 11 years, Paul decided to attempt a channel swim to raise money for two charities his wife had chosen in her year as Mayor of Bury St Edmunds. As part of his training, he competed in the Colwick Park 4KM Swim in May 2007, coming in sixth, then took fifth place in the Champion-of-Champions event in Dover Harbour. Under the guidance and stewardship of Freda Streeter (The Channel General), he successfully swum the English Channel in 13 hours 52 minutes on July 10, 2007. He also won the Dover Regatta 2KM (Over 40’s event) in Dover Harbour on August 11, 2007.

In 2008 Paul was elected to the committee of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation. In July, at the age of 45, he competed in a FINA World Cup Grand Prix in Serbia, covering the 19KM swim in 3 hours, 30 minutes and 19 seconds, finishing in 21st position. On September 12, 2008 he completed is second English Channel swim in 13 hours 3 minutes, becoming only the 84th person in history to complete more than one channel swim.