Disabled athlete swaps water for wheels in Paralympics bid

Daniel Holt.

Disabled athlete Daniel Holt had only just found his sporting niche in the swimming pool when it was ripped away from him.

Now the 21-year-old with albinism and limited eyesight is trying to reinvent himself as a cyclist, starting next week at the BikeNZ club road nationals.

He was just beginning down his chosen path where he gained a fourth place at the 2012 London Paralympic Games before developing an allergy to pool chlorine.

"I had just found something I was really good at and I wanted to do. And then that was gone."

But Holt has swapped his togs for pedals in the hope of making it to the next Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"Rather than giving up sport altogether ... I decided to get into cycling and see where that will take me."

Sighted cycling pilot Sean Finning will act as his eyes on their tandem bike.

Holt is still learning in his new field, training at home in Albany on a stationary road bike with wind resistance. Once a week, the newly formed duo hit the road. Next week in Cambridge they'll enter their first event together.

National paracycling coach Brendon Cameron said the race would be a good first step for the new partnership as they push for Rio.