British swimmer Archie Goodburn has revealed he has been diagnosed with inoperable brain tumours. 

The 23-year-old, from Edinburgh, will now start chemotherapy and radiotherapy and says he is “determined to take this head-on, to remain positive and to keep being Archie.”

He started suffering from numbness and seizures late last year during preparations for Olympics trials in London in April. Archie swam on and challenged for a place on the Britain team for the Paris Olympic Games as a finalist on breaststroke. He missed out on qualification by half a second behind James Wilby in third place, on 1:00.03 in a 100m final won by Olympic champion Adam Peaty. 

Tests carried out after the trials found three large oligodendrogliomas, a rare type of cancer known to impact the brain and spinal cord. Surgery is impossible because of the nature of the tumours.

Archie will now undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He posted his story on Instagram, writing: 

“Six weeks ago, my life experienced a profound change as I was diagnosed with three brain tumours. In December 2023, my training began to be interrupted by strange episodes. These episodes, initially thought to be hemiplegic migraines, would occur during hard training. “They would leave me with a loss of strength and a numb sensation on my left side, a deep feeling of fear, nausea and extreme deja vu. I now know that these were in fact seizures. With the trials behind me, I dug deeper into what was really causing these attacks. An MRI in May finally revealed what I’d begun to fear the most.” 

“The silver lining to this diagnosis is that oligodendrogliomas generally respond better to radiotherapy and chemotherapy than many other serious brain tumour types. I am young, I am fit, I have the most phenomenal support network of friends, the best family I could ever hope for and a fantastic girlfriend by my side. I am determined to take this head-on, to remain positive and to keep being Archie.” - Archie Goodburn.

Archie raced for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, three years after claiming bronze in 50m breaststroke at the World Junior Championships. 

In 2023, he won the national 50m title and claimed bronze at the inaugural European Under 23s Championships in Dublin. 

State of Swimming wishes Archie all the very best for the treatment and challenges ahead. All strength to you.

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The Vortex, June 2024 / The Vortex, May 2024 / The Vortex April 2024