At 49, Paralympic gold medalist Melanie Barratt has shattered records and perceptions—becoming the first blind woman to conquer the English Channel. She finished the grueling 21-mile swim in just 12 hours and 20 minutes, well ahead of the estimated 14 hours
Melanie was born with scarred eyes after her mom contracted congenital toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. She grew up virtually blind and was only able to make out bright colors and shapes. She first began swimming with the British Blind Sport charity.
“I loved the water,” she remembers. “The charity helped me by teaching me to swim straight and how not to bump my head into the pool ends.”
“I struggled to fit in at school because of my blindness, so I often turned to the pool as an escape.”
Swimming became her refuge in school—a haven when the world felt isolating. Slowly improving, a swimming partner invited her to the Paralympic games, which lit a fire underneath her that pushed her to succeed, and this drive propelled her to win multiple medals for Great Britain in Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).
After Sydney, Melanie retired from competitive swimming and wanted “something more.”
“Sadly, my guide dog doesn’t swim,” she said, according to English news media outlet SWNS. “But I became friends with an incredible open-water swimmer who took me under her wing.”
“The shock of the cold water made me aware of every single cell of my body, and it was freeing.”
Born with congenital toxoplasmosis, Melanie grew up virtually blind, able to perceive only shapes and colors. Swimming became her refuge in school—a haven when the world felt isolating. Her drive propelled her to the Paralympics, where she won multiple medals for Great Britain in Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).
Inspired by open-water giants like Lynne Cox, Melanie began cold-water and marathon practice, eventually tackling lake events and the Thames Marathon. She used bright kayaks and bone-conduction headsets for navigation
On August 28, 2024, she swam from Dover to Cap Gris Nez in France, a feat the media and Guinness World Records celebrated as a “dream come true.” She described mid-swim nerves, sickness, and fear—but credited determination and support for her success
Melanie says, “Life is incredibly difficult being blind…but sport and open-water swimming have given me a newfound confidence and made me proud of who I am.”
Well Melanie, you most certainly have inspired the entire newsroom here at Positive News. Your determination, and quite simply, your swimming skills, blind or not, are unlike anything we have seen and we can't thank you enough for showing all of us just how strong we can be if we believe in ourselves and put in the work to be better at anything we set our minds to. Whether that is providing the world with positive news that inspires, or free water swimming the English Channel in just over 12 continues hours.
