Gareth Thomas is facing his fear head-on as he prepares for the Royal Windsor Triathlon on Sunday.

The Wales rugby legend will take on the Olympic distance event around the iconic town to raise further awareness for his trailblazing Tackle HIV campaign, delivered in partnership with ViiV Healthcare and Terrence Higgins Trust and aiming to tackle the stigma and misunderstanding around HIV.

Thomas, 49, completed an Ironman triathlon in 2019 having never learned to swim as a child.

“With all of the challenges we’ve done, I have always said if they are easy, they aren’t challenges,” said the Bridgend native.

“And they won’t grab people’s attention – which is what we want to do because we’ve got a message to tell them.

“Swimming, water I will never be comfortable with, I never have been, it is something that I have to overcome.

“Going into Sunday I am very anxious about the swim, this isn’t like swimming in the Mediterranean Sea where it is crystal blue, this is the Thames!

“Swimming in the Thames is always a challenge with the current and the fact that this is a flowing, living river”

“But you have to do something that pushes you, for the understanding as to why you are doing it and to be motivated by the fear, and to grab people’s attention.”

Thomas revealed his HIV diagnosis in 2019 and has been vocal about improving knowledge – and reducing stigma – ever since.

Approaching his 50th birthday, the Wales centurion admitted that he has had to adapt his training to account for his ageing body.

On Sunday, he will be joined by a team of people taking part in relays including former athletics world champion Perri Shakes-Drayton and broadcaster Jenni Falconer.

Also part of the group will be people living with HIV, and a number of people from ViiV Healthcare who support and fund his campaign. ViiV Healthcare is a global pharmaceutical company 100% focused on HIV.

He added: “We’re always, as a campaign, looking for difficult challenges and different challenges, we haven’t done anything quite like this previously.

“It is an iconic venue and it is all about doing something that is very difficult for people. It’s about teamwork to master different disciplines and conquering the challenge together.

“It demonstrates that HIV doesn’t restrict people from their physical capabilities.

“As much as I am extremely proud to lead this campaign, it has never been about me, it has always been about creating an understanding that helps the community.

“So to have people living with HIV doing it and campaign supporters, it amplifies that really positive message that we are trying to say to people.

“It is also great to have the allyship to show people that as much as we are trying to get rid of the stigma, there are people in society who already have that knowledge.”

Gareth Thomas and six Tackle HIV relay teams are undertaking the Royal Windsor Triathlon to demonstrate that living with HIV need not be a barrier to achieving anything, and to raise funds for Terrence Higgins Trust. Tackle HIV is a campaign led by Gareth Thomas in partnership with ViiV Healthcare and Terrence Higgins Trust and aims to tackle the stigma and misunderstanding around HIV. For more information visit tacklehiv.org and follow @tacklehiv