Thomas Rosenfeld is a deaf GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) athlete who got into sport before he learnt to talk.
The 44-year-old, from Helston, competed for the Great Britain Deaf Swim Team for five years from the age of 16, achieved fourth place at the European Deaf Championship in 1998 and was part of the GB team at the Deaflympic in Rome in 2001.
When his career as a competitive swimmer ended, Thomas moved on to football – playing for both Redruth Utd and St Day FC.
Since 2016, Thomas has focused on triathlons – notching up some impressive successes in both Ironman and Ironman 70.3 international competitions. A full Ironman covers 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling and running, and an Ironman 70.3 covers exactly half that distance with an emphasis on speed and pacing.
Thomas came third in his age group at the Challenge Family 70.3 in Gdansk, Poland and was second in his age group at this year’s Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo.
He has taken part in full Ironman competitions in Tenby, Vichy, Tallinn and Frankfurt and will be competing in another in Barcelona this October.
Thomas does an average 17-20 hours of training each week, including early morning swim sessions, gym workouts and strength and conditioning at Helston Sports Centre.
“Sport gives me the confidence to cope in a hearing world,” said Thomas, who works full-time as a bespoke joiner.
“I train before and after work and prefer being with no more than two or three people who understand my deafness. Having a simple conversation can be exhausting as I lip read and that’s hard when someone speaks too fast or assumes that because I wear hearing aids, I know what they’re saying.
“When I go to an event, I try and get all the details beforehand. Briefings and presentations can be very difficult if there aren’t sub-titles, so I like to have a supporter with me who picks up on what I miss.
“I sometimes feel very isolated, but sport gives me such pleasure. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it.”
As a GSF athlete, Thomas benefits from free access to any of the GLL leisure centres in Cornwall, as well as more than 250 of their facilities nationwide. He can also access physiotherapy and mental health support.
“The sport that I do is very expensive and I’m very grateful for the valuable help that GSF gives me,” he said. “The Helston Leisure Centre team are amazing. They know me, know what I need and make training there enjoyable.”
Thomas is one of 178 athletes in Cornwall to have been awarded funding worth £122,640 by the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) this year.
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