Dias headlines in Berlin

“I see this competition as a big test to Montreal, in August, for the World Championship. The more I win and show good performances, the more confident I am going to be in Canada.”

Over 450 swimmers, including Paralympic champions, will compete at the German International Championships in Berlin this week (23-26 May), in one of the last chances to qualify for the World Championships in Montreal in August.

Daniel Dias, who became Brazil's most successful Paralympic athlete after taking his total of Paralympic medals to 15 in London, will be competing in four disciplines at the Europa Sports Park.

He will be racing in two of his favourite events – the 100m S5 freestyle and 50m S5 backstroke – and hopes to continue his reign in the pool after becoming Paralympic champion in Beijing and retaining the title in 2012.

Dias has had a great few months since winning six individual gold medals at London, all in world record times. In March he was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award for the second time.

Speaking about Berlin and his preparations for Montreal, Dias said: “The tournament is traditional and have an important role on the swimming world scene. It’s an opportunity to compete against my biggest opponents and see how they are, after all, we have the World Championship this year.”

Fellow Brazilian and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) One to Watch, Andre Brasil, will also be looking to impress in Berlin. He has won seven Paralympic gold medals in the last two Games and will be competing in five disciplines in the German capital. Brasil, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Thursday (23rd May), will race in both the 50m S10 and 100m S10 freestyle – events where he is already Paralympic champion.

Brasil said: “I see this competition as a big test to Montreal, in August, for the World Championship. The more I win and show good performances, the more confident I am going to be in Canada.”

Another London gold medallist that will enter the pool in Berlin, and is also one of the IPC’s Ones to Watch, is Norwegian Sarah Louise Rung. The 23-year-old won four medals at her debut Paralympic Games in London and will be hoping she can win the 100m SB4 breaststroke this weekend following her silver medal behind Ukrainian Nataliia Prologaieva in London, who hasn’t made the trip to Germany. Rung will also be competing in the 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke.

The event in Berlin features many competitors from the host country including the experienced pairing of Kirsten Bruhn and Daniela Shulte. Bruhn has collected 11 Paralympic medals during an impressive career which includes winning the gold medal in the 100m SB5 breaststroke at the last three Paralympics.

The 43-year-old, who considered retirement after London, will be competing in six disciplines in Berlin including the 50m S7 freestyle which she holds two Paralympic medals in from Athens and Beijing.

Shulte meanwhile is set to compete in an impressive eight disciplines including the 400m S11 freestyle which she is both the current world champion and Paralympic gold medallist.

The 30-year-old stormed onto the Paralympic scene in 1996 winning four medals at the age of just 14, but more recently won an incredible six medals at the World Championships in 2010. Similar to Bruhn, Schulte won a gold and silver medal in London in the 400m S11 freestyle and 200m SM11 individual medley respectively.