David Roberts, the Welsh swimmer, hopes to be planning a new wing for his medals cabinet after the Beijing Games as he eyes Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson's record as Britain's most golden Paralympian. “I've got seven golds, Tanni got 11. If I miss it in Beijing, I'll definitely get it in London,” the 28-year-old from Pontypridd said.

Grey-Thompson, who retired from wheelchair athletics last year, went to five Paralympic Games, from Seoul in 1988 to Athens in 2004, and as well as 11 gold medals, won four silvers and a bronze.

Roberts's confidence is not unfounded. He has won seven golds, four silvers and a bronze from his two Paralympics, in Sydney and Athens. In three of his individual events, the S7 50 metres, 100 metres and 400 metres freestyle, he is the world record-holder and he will compete in at least two powerful relay teams. Roberts was diagnosed with a mild form of cerebral palsy at the age of 11 and began swimming for physiotherapy.

Grey-Thompson and Roberts show the strong influence that Wales has had on Britain's Paralympic success. Roberts is one of eight from the Swim Swansea club in the Britain team, which includes the next generation in Eleanor Simmonds, who, at 13, will be the youngest person to represent Britain in Beijing. Simmonds is not strictly Welsh and was only meant to be a 2012 prospect, but her times improved dramatically when Steve and Val, her parents, moved from their home in Birmingham to South Wales last year so that their daughter could be close to British Swimming's high-performance centre in Swansea.

Roberts set three world records at the British Championships in Sheffield in April. He regained the 50 metres world best that he lost to Matthew Walker, his fellow Briton, and twice lowered the 100 metres mark on the way to gold. Then, later that month at the British International Disability Swimming Championships in Sheffield, Roberts broke the 400 metres freestyle record twice in a day. The record had stood for eight years, set by Dean Booth, of New Zealand, when he beat Roberts into silver in the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000.

Britain's Olympic swimming team may have excelled itself in Beijing, but its Paralympic counterpart has long been Britain's strongest suit. It shone in Athens, when there was gloom in the athletics, with its 16 golds representing almost half of the team's total of 35. Roberts was the star, with four golds and a silver. He won the S7 50 metres freestyle, 400 metres freestyle, 4 x 100 metres freestyle relay and the 100 metres freestyle.

China, who beat Britain overall in the pool in Athens, are expected to be an even more powerful threat in Beijing, with swimmers not yet seen in the West emerging. But unknown competition does not worry Roberts as much as some of his team-mates. “It doesn't bother me, I'll try my best and that will be good enough,” he said.