Ascot para athlete Nerys Pearce added yet another medal to her collection with Swim Serpentine victory on Saturday – her second in succession.

Now in its second year, Swim Serpentine is a one-day open water swimming festival staged in the heart of the capital by the organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon and Prudential RideLondon.

Almost 5,000 swimmers of all ages and abilities descended on Hyde Park on Saturday, with 35-year-old Pearce competing in the S5-6 category in the para women’s race.

Having being left paralysed from the chest down following a motorbike accident in 2008, former Army medic Pearce has never let her disability stop her, winning ten medals at last year’s Invictus Games.

In the same year, she also won the inaugural Swim Serpentine title, and on Saturday, successfully retained her crown in a time of 25.27 minutes – more than a minute quicker than her 2016 effort.

And while open water swimming may be just one of several sports in which Pearce excels, Swim Serpentine is certainly one of her favourites.

“It feels brilliant to have won. It is an amazing swim and it’s brilliant to get such a great group of people all swimming just because they love it,” said Pearce, who will compete for Great Britain at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico later this month.

“I wanted to retain my title, and I’ve done that. I wanted to see whether my swim training was paying off, but it’s difficult to compare one swim to another.

“It’s such an open event and they make it so easy for competitors. It’s great to have such an accessible event that is inclusive to all.

“It’s a separate wave for the paras, but it’s still part of the event, it’s not on a different day so it makes you feel part of it.

“The location of the Swim Serpentine makes it so special. You can hear the crowds when you’re in the water which is really unusual for a swim race, and they’re lined all the way around the course.

“The camaraderie and the feeling of togetherness, support and driving each other forward is amazing. 

“Everyone wants to win and do their best, but everyone is also there for each other, ready to push them along.”

But while retaining her title at Swim Serpentine is in itself a fantastic achievement, an even more remarkable challenge lies in wait for Pearce.

Having already completed a 300-mile triathlon from London to Paris, Pearce has set herself the small task of swimming the English Channel solo.

“The Swim Serpentine has been brilliant training as I prepare for my ultimate goal of swimming the channel,” she said.

“I have been swimming quite a lot this year training for swimming the channel, so I just wanted to see if I could knock any time off last year’s time, and I did.

“I relayed the channel as part of a 300-mile triathlon with Help for Heroes. We relayed from London all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. We ran from London to Dover, swam from Dover to Calais, and then biked from Calais to Paris.

“Someone suggested I did a solo swim across the channel, and I decided to give it a go!

“Hopefully this time next year, the channel will be done.”

Swim Serpentine is a one-day open water swimming festival staged in the heart of London and organised by London Marathon Events. To find out more about Swim Serpentine and The London Classics, head to https://www.swimserpentine.co.uk/