Sven Decaesstecker

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Sven "Rocker" Decaesstecker (31 May 1985, Torhout) is a Belgian swimmer and Paralympic Athlete.

1 Biography
2 Personal
3 Competition
4 Links

[edit] Biography

Sven has been a participant in local competitions since he was eight. As a young swimmer Sven won both regional and national titels.

At age 11 Sven was diagnosed with bonecancer. After one year of chemotherapy and the amputation of his right foot he started swimming again. Only this time he trained for both the disabled league and the abled bodied swimmingclub in Ostend. His new coach there was Stefaan Maene, an ex-Olympic swimmer that participated in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the Royal Ostend Swimming Club Sven was reunited with his friend Mathieu Fonteyn with whom he was close friends at the beginning of his swimming career at the age of 8. There have been some changes at the Royal Ostend Swimming Club, swimmers like Mathieu Fonteyn and Brian Ryckeman that are now among the top of Belgian swimming left the club. Stefaan Maene left as headcoach and Guy Verhelst followed. Two years later the new Head Coach was Patrick Boucquaert, it was with Patrick that Sven went to the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. In 2005 Greg Planckaert became the new Headcoach of the Royal Ostend Swimming Club and took Sven to the World Championships in Durban, South Africa in 2006. The next goal for Greg and Sven is to qualify for the next 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and the first Paralympic Short Course World Championships in 2009.

[edit] Personal

Sven is holding a bachelor's degree in political sciences at the Ghent University. He majors in national politics.

Sven is a representative in the Belgian Paralympic Committee. He was elected as chairman of the Athletes Board.

His studies have also led him to participate in the 2006 elections for city council in his hometown of Kortemark as a candidate for the VLD and as a member of the opposition.

[edit] Competition

The first International Paralympic competition Sven went to was the European Championships in Brauwnschweig, Germany in 1999. He made it as a youngster (14 yo) into the finals at 100m Breaststroke, 200m Individual Medley and 400m Freestyle.

His next competition was the next European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in 2001. Again he got into the finals on 100m Backstroke, 400m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley and won the Bronze Medal on 100m Breaststroke.

One year later at the World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 2002 he made it into the finals on 100m Breaststroke (5th place), 100m Backstroke (6th place) and 200m Individual Medley (5th place).

2003 was the year where qualification for the next Paralympic Games in Athens was important. Sven did nog peak to big competitions but tried to swim his qualifying time at some International competitions.

At the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004 Sven went for a medal on 200m Individual Medley and 100m Breaststroke. The goals that Sven for himself set has been proven to be too ambitious. Again Sven made it to the finals on 100m Breaststroke (5th place), 200m Individual Medley (5th place) and 100m Backstroke (6th place).

At the next Paralympic World Championships Swimming in Durban, South Africa in 2006 Sven was again going for the medal that he's been seeking for some years now. With the second best time on the startinglist on the 200m Individual Medley it seemed more possible than ever. Sven again made it to the finals 3 times, but did not even come close to his personal best time on any stroke. He finished 6th on the 200m Individual Medley, 7th on the 100m Backstroke, and 8th on the 100m Breaststroke.

After these disappointing World Championships Sven is determined to qualify for the next Paralympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008 where he will once again try to achieve what he always wanted: to win a Paralympic medal.

On his quest to swim the new Paralympic Qualifying time set by the Belgian Paralympic Committee (qualifying time on 200IM is 2.21.10), Sven allready swam 2.19.99 on 200m IM during the Belgian Championships for Abled-bodied swimmers in Antwerp in August 2007. Sven now has to prove his shape by swimming again under that qualifying time before April 1st 2008.