Benjamin Hance

Benjamin "Ben" Hance OAM (born 25 July 2000) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won a gold, silver and bronze medal and at the 2024 Paris Paralympic, he won a gold and silver medal .^[1][2]

Benjamin Hance
OAM

Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	25 July 2000 (2000-07-25) (age 24)
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Paralympic swimming
Disability class	S14
Club	St. Andrews
Coached by	Ashley Delaney
Medal record Paralympic swimming Representing  Australia Paralympic Games 2020 Tokyo 100 m backstroke S14 2024 Paris 100 m backstroke S14 2020 Tokyo Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 2024 Paris Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 2020 Tokyo 100 metre butterfly S14 World Championships 2022 Madeira 100 m backstroke S14 2023 Manchester 100 m backstroke S14 2023 Manchester Mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay 49 pts 2022 Madeira Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 2022 Madeira Mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay S14 2023 Manchester Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 2022 Madeira 200 m freestyle S14 2023 Manchester 100 m butterfly S14 Commonwealth Games 2022 Birmingham 200 m freestyle S14

Swimming career

He is classified as a S14 swimmer. In 2021, Hance holds the world record for the Men's 100 m Backstroke (S14) by swimming a time of 58.88 (1019 points) at the 2021 Australian Multi-Class Swimming Championships .^[3]

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Hance won the gold medal in the Men's 100 m backstroke S14 with a personal best time of 57.73. He also won a bronze medal in the Men's 100 m butterfly S14 with a time of 56.90, less than 2 seconds behind the winner, Gabriel Bandeira from Brazil.^[4]

At the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships, Madeira,^[5] Hance won four medals - gold in the Men's 100m Backstroke S14, silver in Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 and Mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay S14 and bronze in the Men's 200 m Freestyle S14 In the medley he teamed up with Madeleine McTernan, Ricky Betar, and Ruby Storm.^[6] They won the silver medal with a time of 3:46.38, just under 6 seconds behind the winners, Great Britain, who set a world record.^[7] He did not medal in two other events.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal in the 200 m freestyle S14.^[8] At the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, Manchester, England, he won four medals - 2 gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the Men's 100 m backstroke S14. He broke the world record in the hears with a time of 56.52. He finished fourth in the Men's 100 m butterfly S14. He was a member of the Mixed 4 x 100 m freestyle S14 that won the silver medal.

In 2023, Hance is coached by Ashley Delaney at St Andrews on the Sunshine Coast. He was previously coached by Nathan Doyle.^[9]

Recognition

• 2021 - AIS Discovery of the Year at Swimming Australia Awards ^[10]
• 2022 – Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 ^[11]