SWIMMING star Sascha Kindred is feeling “positive and confident” ahead of his sixth and final Paralympics in Brazil next month.

The 38-year-old believes he is in good shape to compete with the world’s elite at the Rio showpiece which opens on September 7.

Kindred has already won six Paralympic gold medals, three silvers and three bronze in his glittering 22-year para-swimming career.

And the Hereford-based Great Britain athlete is determined to produce in his best performances when the swimming action gets under way.

“This will be my sixth Paralympics so I have a lot of experience from previous events and that should give me a bit of an edge.

“I know it will be a different game this time because I will be one of the older athletes and since London 2012 younger swimmers have come through and are pushing high in the world rankings.

“I am feeling positive and confident. I am not going to mention a colour (of a medal) but I will be aiming for a personal best and leaving my best performance in the pool.”

Earlier this year, Kindred was left waiting to see if he had made the cut for the GB team after failing to hit the qualification time at the home trials.

The ace was within two per cent of the time needed and was selected for GB with his previous excellent performances also coming into consideration.

Four years ago, Kindred achieved a silver medal in the SM6 200m individual medley and he will be aiming to go one better this time around.

Despite breaking his own world record and setting a new best time in Europe in London, Kindred had to settle for second spot after China’s Xu Qing beat his old mark by nearly three seconds.

“Xu Qing had been around for a couple of years and knocked five seconds off his personal best, which stunned me and rest of the swimming world,” recalled Kindred.

“But since London 2012, he has not hit those same heights.”

He added: “Immediately after that race, I was disappointed but I am immensely proud of the medal and often show it to children on my visits to schools.

“Sometimes you don’t always win but putting in your best performance is the most important thing regardless of what other guys do.”

Kindred will compete in three disciplines in Rio, starting with the 50-metre butterfly on September 9 and then the 50m freestyle on September 10 before his main event, the 200m individual medley, on September 12.