Melanie Jayne Marshall (born 12 January 1982) is a former British
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
. She has won numerous medals for her country as well as being a swimming coach of the year for her work with
Adam Peaty
Adam George Peaty (born 28 December 1994) is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, ...
in Derby and later Loughborough.
Early life
She was born in
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hull ...
, brought up in the nearby village of
Wrangle. She attended the
Giles School in
Old Leake
Old Leake is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,022.
Old Leake is situated approximately north-east from Boston, and on the A52 road between Leverton and Wrangle ...
.
Career
A long lasting international career started at the 1995 European Youth Olympics in Bath, where she won four gold medals.
Marshall was ranked number one in the world in 2004 after breaking the
British 200 m freestyle record to ensure selection to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
At the
2008 Short Course World Championships in Manchester, she came third as part of the British women's 4×100 m freestyle relay team.
Marshall claimed six medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,
and is currently the second most decorated female athlete ever. Marshall ended her swimming career at the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
She is a three times winner of the ASA National British
100 metres freestyle title (2002, 2004 and 2005), the
400 metres freestyle champion in 2004 and 2005 and the
50 metres backstroke winner in 1998.
On 30 October 2008, Marshall announced her retirement from the sport. She was the head coach at City of Derby Swimming Club, where she first began coaching Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic champion
Adam Peaty
Adam George Peaty (born 28 December 1994) is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, ...
when he was twelve. In 2014 she was International swim coach of the year.
Marshall has also worked as a coach with the British swimming team and has been named as an elite coach by
UK Sport
UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
It was created ...
. In 2016 Marshall and Peaty both left City of Derby to join the
Loughborough National Swimming centre. as lead coach.
Marshall was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the
2021 Birthday Honours for services to swimming and charity.
Personal life
She currently resides in
Loughborough
Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
with her three dogs, Missy, Jetson and Rhonda, sadly Missy and Jetson no longer here. She is 1.7 m (5′ 7″), 62 kg.
See also
*
*
List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women)
This is a list of women's Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming from 1930 to 2022.
Current program
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
50 metre backstroke
100 metre ...
References
External links
British Swimming athlete profileBritish Olympic Association athlete profile2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games athlete profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Melanie
1982 births
Alumni of Loughborough University
English female swimmers
Living people
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
English swimming coaches
European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
British female freestyle swimmers
Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
Olympic swimmers of Great Britain
People from Boston, Lincolnshire
Sportspeople from Lincolnshire
Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
People from the Borough of Boston
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games