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Parkin out to win, prove deaf can compete
Terence Parkin will be swimming at his first Olympic Games in Sydney this year. The 20-year-old South African was born with a severe hearing disability and uses sign language to communicate with his coach. But that hasn't stopped him from getting to the Olympics, where he is hoping to make his mark. "I am going to the Olympics to represent South Africa, but it's so vitally important for me to go, to show that the deaf can do anything," Parkin says. "They can't hear, they can see everything. I would like to show the world that there's opportunities for the deaf." Parkin, who owns the African record in the 400 individual medley, won two silver medals earlier this year at the Short Course World Championships in Athens. Parkin doesn't regard himself as being disabled, and when he's with hearing people, he feels he is their equal. The South African wants to do the best he can in Sydney, and says he improves by always competing against himself. It's that attitude and the determination to succeed despite his deafness, that has got Parkin to Sydney where he'll be hoping to be rewarded with an Olympic medal.
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