She kept going even when she lost her swim cap. “We are so proud!” Freya added.
Harmonie, a member of Bath Swimming Club, is hoping to be classified in February, so the event was a little tester to get a feel of it all.
She competed in the 50- metre backstroke and the 50- metre freestyle. She beat her personal best score with her back stroke and was super happy. She lost her swim cap on her front crawl but carried on swimming.
Exciting start
“This is an exciting start for her and she loved her first meet,” Freya said. “She has a great squad and the coaches are absolutely brilliant, so supportive, they are such a wonderful team and we are so excited.”
And Team Bath AS were impressed too, posting “We were so impressed with your attitude, resilience and determination, and your smile lit up the pool! We can’t wait to see you back in action again soon.”
Harmonie-Rose joined 44 other incredible para-swimmers from across the region to showcase their dedication and skill in the pool at the event.
Beat all odds
The Bath youngster has never failed to surprise the world. She beat all odds when at just 10-months-old she contracted meningitis and was given a 10 per cent chance of survival. To save her life, surgeons amputated her arms above the elbow and her legs at the knee.
Since then, Harmonie has continued to thrive, overcoming all obstacles to be where she is today, including winning the 2021 Child of Courage, Pride of Britain Award (and singing with Ed Sheeran).
At the age of 4 she took her first steps in prosthetic legs and put them through their paces as part of the Bath Half Marathon, helping to raise £6,450.
Two years later, during the first lockdown she launched her 2.6 Challenge – tackling six things doctors said she’s never do 26 times – running, singing, drawing, swimming, gymnastics and jumping. This raised more than £76,000 for our ongoing work.
Since then her fundraising efforts have seen her scaling a climbing wall 100 times and running 500 metres on her new blades, to raise money for an accessible playground.
Splash Now
If Harmonie’s exploits in the pool have inspired you to try swimming for your family why not get in touch with our partners Turtle Tots?
Turtle Tots teaches vital lifesavings skills, builds water confidence and creates special, fun-filled memories for babies and toddlers. Throughout the month of October, members of this award-winning baby, toddler and preschool swim school will once again be taking part in Splash Now – a week of sponsored water-based activities to raise vital funds for us. Read more here.
