Ben Proud

Benjamin Ross Proud (born 21 September 1994) is an English competitive swimmer, who represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games, the FINA World Aquatics Championships and LEN European Aquatics Championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games until August 2025. Proud specialises in sprint freestyle and butterfly races, specifically the 50-metre distance in both. He is the 2022 World Champion in the 50 metre freestyle, his second long course world title. He is the 2017 world champion in the 50-metre butterfly. He is only the third male swimmer to be simultaneously short-course and long-course World Champion at 50 metre freestyle, after César Cielo and Florent Manaudou. in 2024, at his third attempt he won his first Olympic medal, a silver, in the 50 metre freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Proud holds two British national records, as well as being a double Commonwealth Games champion in both the 50 m butterfly (2014 and 2022) and 50 m freestyle (2014, 2018 and 2022) events. He was European Champion over 50 metres freestyle in 2018 and 2022, and was part of the 4 x 100 medley team from Great Britain which won European gold in 2014. In 2025, Proud announced his intention to retire permanently from 'traditional' swimming as recognised by World Aquatics, European Aquatics and the International Olympic Committee to take up opportunities at the Enhanced Games, a private sports event that allows doping in its athletes.