Ben Proud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ben Proud

Personal information
Born	(1994-09-21) 21 September 1994 (age 30) London, England
Height	1.91 m
Weight	94 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly
Club	Energy Standard
Coach	James Gibson 2016–present Jon Rudd To 2016
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Silver 2024 Paris 50 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2017 Budapest 50 m butterfly Gold 2022 Budapest 50 m freestyle Bronze 2017 Budapest 50 m freestyle Bronze 2023 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle Bronze 2024 Doha 50 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 50 m freestyle Silver 2022 Melbourne 50 m freestyle European Championships (LC) Gold 2014 Berlin 4x100 m medley Gold 2018 Glasgow 50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Rome 50 m freestyle Silver 2018 Glasgow 50 m butterfly Silver 2021 Budapest 50 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Berlin 50 m butterfly Bronze 2016 London 50 m freestyle Bronze 2016 London 50 m butterfly European Championships (SC) Gold 2023 Otopeni 50 m freestyle Gold 2023 Otopeni 4x50 m freestyle Gold 2023 Otopeni 4x50 m mixed freestyle Silver 2017 Copenhagen 50 m freestyle Bronze 2017 Copenhagen 50 m butterfly Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow 50 m freestyle Gold 2014 Glasgow 50 m butterfly Gold 2018 Gold Coast 50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Birmingham 50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Birmingham 50 m butterfly Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m medley Bronze 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle

Benjamin Proud, born on September 21, 1994, is a fantastic swimmer from England. He swims for Great Britain in big events like the Olympic Games and the World Championships. He also represents England at the Commonwealth Games.

Ben is especially good at short, fast races, known as "sprint" events. He focuses on the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre butterfly races. He became a world champion in the 50-metre freestyle in 2022. He also won the 50-metre butterfly world title in 2017. In 2024, he won his first Olympic medal, a silver, in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Ben holds two British national records in swimming. He has won multiple gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. He was also a European Champion in the 50-metre freestyle in 2018 and 2022.

Ben Proud's Early Life and Training

Ben Proud was born in London, England. When he was just five months old, his family moved to Malaysia. He grew up in a place called Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

He went to the Alice Smith School. There, he swam for the school team, the KLASS Torpedoes. He competed in many international swim meets across Southeast Asia. He even won the 50-metre butterfly at the Malaysian Open.

Moving to England for Swimming

In 2011, when Ben was 16, he moved back to England. He wanted to focus on swimming as a career. He joined Plymouth College as a special swimming student. After school, he studied Sports Development & Coaching at the University of St Mark & St John.

He trained with coach Jon Rudd at the Plymouth Leander Swimming Programme. In 2017, he moved to Turkey to train at the Energy Standard International Swim Club.

Ben Proud's Swimming Career Highlights

Ben Proud quickly became known as a top British sprinter. In 2013, he won a silver medal in the 50-metre butterfly at the European Junior Championships. This was a big step for him.

He then won gold in the butterfly at the British Gas International Meet. Later, he took silver in the 50-metre freestyle in Leeds. He broke the 50-metre butterfly British record twice in one competition. This earned him his first British Gas Swimming Championship title at age 19.

First International Medals

Ben continued to improve his personal best times. He earned a spot on the British team for the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. He did very well, finishing 18th in the 50-metre freestyle and 11th in the 50-metre butterfly.

In 2014, at just 19, Ben won his first senior international medals. He competed for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The next month, he won a gold medal with the 4 × 100-metre medley relay team for Great Britain. He also won a bronze in the 50-metre butterfly at his first European Championships.

At the 2016 European Aquatics Championships in London, he won two bronze medals. These were for the 50-metre butterfly and the 50-metre freestyle. Ben also represented Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle events.

World Championship Success

At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, Ben Proud surprised many by winning a gold medal. He set a new national record of 22.75 seconds in the 50-metre butterfly final. He also won a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle.

Commonwealth and European Triumphs

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, Ben won several medals. He earned silver medals as part of the 4 × 100-metre freestyle and 4 × 100-metre medley relay teams. He also broke his own Games record in the 50-metre freestyle heats and semi-finals. He then won the final in 21.35 seconds. He set a new Commonwealth record of 21.16 seconds in the 50-metre freestyle at a meet in Rome.

At the 2018 European Aquatics Championships in Glasgow, Ben won a silver medal in the 50-metre butterfly. He then set a new world record for textile swimsuits in the 50-metre freestyle semi-finals. He went on to win his first European gold medal in the final of the 50-metre freestyle.

In 2019, he was part of the Energy Standard Swim Club team. They won the team title in the first ever International Swimming League in Las Vegas.

Recent Achievements (2021-2025)

In May 2021, at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Ben Proud won a silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle.

A year later, at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Ben won a gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle event. He also competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. There, he won a gold medal in the 50-metre butterfly event.

In 2023, Ben won the gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle at the British Swimming Championships. This was his fifth time winning this event. In December, he became the European short-course champion in the 50-metre freestyle for the first time.

In 2024, Ben secured his spot at the 2024 Summer Olympics by winning the 50-metre freestyle at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. On August 2, 2024, he won a silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle final at the Olympics.

In 2025, Ben won the 50-metre freestyle event for the third year in a row. He also won the 50-metre butterfly title at the 2025 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. He had already been chosen for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Ben Proud's Best Times

Ben Proud has set impressive personal best times in his swimming career.

These times are British Records.

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin Proud para niños

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)