Rebecca Adlington
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Rebecca Adlington (born 17 February 1989) is a British former competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle events in international competition. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle, breaking the 19-year-old world record of
Janet Evans Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Ol ...
in the 800-metre final. Adlington was Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908. After winning her first World Championship gold over 800 metres in 2011, along with silver in the 400 metres at the same meet, she won bronze medals in both the women's 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle events in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On 5 February 2013, Adlington retired from all competitive swimming, at the age of 23. Since retiring as a competitor, she has worked for
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TV as a swimming pundit at the Olympic Games and World Aquatics Championships, and made various other media appearances.


Early life and education

Adlington was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where she attended The Brunts School. In 2009, she was one of 94 from "the world of aquatics" to benefit from the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence award (AASE), intended to recognise potential elite athletes with the opportunity for integrated academic achievement whilst continuing with training for competition. Adlington started swimming with Sherwood Colliery Swimming Club, and was selected for the Nottinghamshire County Elite Squad (Nova Centurion Swimming Club). She swam in local swimming leagues for Nottingham Leander Swimming Club, having taken part in the National Speedo 'B' Final in May 2010. Adlington's great-uncle was Terry Adlington, former goalkeeper with
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
. and she is a keen Derby supporter.


Personal life

In 2005, Adlington's sister was affected by encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. Her sister recovered over time, but its impact inspired Adlington to say in 2012: "It made me more determined. It makes me train harder". Adlington became an Ambassador of the Encephalitis Society in 2009, to help raise awareness of the illness. In 2009, comedian
Frankie Boyle Francis Martin Patrick Boyle (born 16 August 1972) is a Scottish comedian and writer. He is known for his cynical, surreal, graphic and often controversial sense of humour. A stand-up comedian since 1995, Boyle first gained widespread recogni ...
was censured by the
BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...
's Editorial Standards Committee for breaching guidelines by using "humiliating and offensive" remarks with "unnecessary innuendo" during a 2008 edition of ''
Mock The Week ''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...
'' broadcast on BBC 2, when he jibed at Adlington's appearance. Adlington's mother criticised the BBC for making the ruling public, which had caused her daughter more distress. In 2014, Adlington married former swimmer Harry Needs. The couple had a daughter together, born in 2015. In March 2016, Adlington announced her separation from Needs. On 4 March 2021, Adlington and her boyfriend, Andy Parsons, announced the birth of their son. She announced on 5 September 2021 that the couple had married. In August 2022, she suffered a miscarriage and underwent an emergency surgery.


Competitive career

Adlington represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Olympics, competing in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle events. She was also scheduled to swim in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay but was rested in the heat and the team failed to qualify for the final. In the heats of the 400-metre freestyle, she broke the Commonwealth record with a time of 4:02.24. On 11 August 2008, she won an Olympic gold medal in the same event, with a time of 4:03.22, overtaking
Katie Hoff Kathryn Elise Hoff (born June 3, 1989) is a former American competitive swimmer, she is an Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Hoff was known for her success in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley. She represented the Un ...
of the United States in the last 20 metres. She was the first woman to win swimming gold for Great Britain since
Anita Lonsbrough Anita Lonsbrough, (born 10 August 1941 in York), later known by her married name Anita Porter, is a former swimmer from Great Britain who won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Swimming career At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwea ...
in 1960. She was the first British swimmer to win more than one gold medal at a single Olympic Games since Henry Taylor won three in 1908. In 2009, Adlington said she suffered with the expectation placed on her ahead of the World Aquatics Championships in Rome, and although she swam a personal best she won only bronze in the 400-metre freestyle. She added a second bronze in the 4×200-metre freestyle. In her favourite event, the 800-metre freestyle she gained fourth place. In 2010, Adlington won the 400-metre freestyle at the European Swimming Championships in Budapest but again failed to win a medal in her favoured 800-metre freestyle, finishing seventh. She won bronze as part of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay team. At the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, she won a "bonus" bronze medal in the 200-metre freestyle, and was part of the English record setting 4×200-metre freestyle relay team that also won bronze. In the 800-metre freestyle, Adlington led from start to finish to win her first Commonwealth Games gold medal. In the 400-metre freestyle, Adlington won comfortably to earn a second gold medal and repeat her Olympic double. She ended the season ranked No. 2 in the 400-metre freestyle and No. 1 in the 800-metre freestyle. At the
2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synch ...
, Adlington won the 800-metre freestyle gold medal, beating Lotte Friis over the final 50 metres, and silver in the 400-metre freestyle behind world record-holder
Federica Pellegrini Federica Pellegrini (; born 5 August 1988) is an Italian retired swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she holds the women's 200 meters freestyle world record (long course, 50 m), and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing ...
of Italy. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Adlington won bronze in the 400-metre freestyle in a time of 4:03.01. and another bronze in the women's 800-metre freestyle in a time of 8:20.32. After the Games, Adlington said that she would no longer undertake the 800-metre race, and would not compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.


Records set

Adlington set a new
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
, Commonwealth, European and
Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...
of 8:18.06 in the preliminary heats of the women's 800-metre freestyle on 14 August 2008. She went on to win the Olympic 800-metre freestyle final on 16 August 2008 in a
world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
time of 8:14.10, her second gold of the tournament, a full six seconds ahead of the silver medallist, and two seconds ahead of the former world record which had been set by
Janet Evans Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Ol ...
when Adlington was 6 months old. At the time, this was swimming's longest standing world record.


Personal bests and records held

;Long course (50 m) ;Short course (25 m)


Recognition

Adlington was welcomed home to Mansfield in August 2008 by thousands of people who lined the streets to applaud as she passed by in an open top bus and then appeared at a ceremony at Mansfield Town Hall. In 2008 after her post-Olympic homecoming, in a special ceremony at Mansfield's Civic Centre headquarters, Adlington was presented with a pair of gold-coloured
Jimmy Choo Datuk Jimmy Choo Back from ...
shoes by
Tony Egginton Tony Egginton (born 1951) was the first directly elected Mayor of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England. He was elected to the position on 17 October 2002, beating Labour Party (UK), Labour's Lorna Carter by 588 votes, ending 30 years of Labour ...
, then the executive mayor. In November 2008, Adlington was named as the Sports Journalists' Association's Sportswoman of the Year, receiving her trophy at a ceremony in the City of London from the Princess Royal, herself a former winner of that award. On 14 December 2008, she was voted third in the
BBC Sports Personality of the Year The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of just one, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. Several new awards have been ...
award. Adlington was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the
2009 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis,Saint Christopher. to ...
list, followed in December 2009 by an honorary degree as Master of Arts from the
University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...
in recognition of her outstanding contribution to British sport. The Sherwood Swimming Baths in Adlington's hometown of Mansfield, where she began swimming as a child, was renamed the ''Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre'' when it reopened after refurbishment in January 2010. The Yates Bar in Mansfield was renamed the ''Adlington Arms'' in her honour. The 2012 Olympic torch relay was routed through
Mansfield Woodhouse Mansfield Woodhouse is a settlement about north of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England, along the main A60 road in a wide, low valley between the Rivers Maun and Meden.OS Explorer Map 270: Sherwood Forest: (1:25 000): Founded before the Rom ...
where it was affected by a heavy thunderstorm before a scheduled lunch break at the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre. In 2013 soon after her retirement from competition, Adlington was named as the inaugural inductee into Nottinghamshire County Council's Roll of Honour. One of the Class 395 high-speed trains operated by Southeastern, used to provide a 140-mph London-to-Kent link and the '' Javelin'' shuttle service for visitors to the 2012 London Olympic Games, was named after Adlington. Several other British Olympians also received this honour. Tram 231 on the Nottingham Tram system was named after Adlington in 2016.


Television

Adlington was a guest panellist on the ITV lunchtime chat show '' Loose Women'' on 25 March, 17 April and 22 May 2014. She was a contestant in
Series 3 Series 3 may refer to: * 3 Skypephone Series, the mobile phone series * Apple Watch Series 3, smart watch * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3, the automobile model * Aston Martin V8 Series 3, the automobile model * BMW 3 Series, the automobile model li ...
of '' The Jump'', but withdrew on 7 February 2016 having dislocated her shoulder during training. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Adlington formed part of the BBC presenting team for the swimming events, along with
Helen Skelton Helen Elizabeth Skelton (born 19 July 1983) is an English television presenter and Actor, actress. She co-presented the BBC children's programme ''Blue Peter'' from 2008 until 2013, and since 2014 has been a presenter on ''Countryfile''. She als ...
and Mark Foster. She repeated this role at the
2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships ( hu, 2017-es úszó-világbajnokság) were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017.
, the
2018 European Championships The 2018 European Championships were the first edition of the European Championships. It was a multi-sport event which took place in Berlin, Germany, and Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (with Edinburgh hosting the diving events and Gleneagles ...
, and the
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
among others.


''I'm a Celebrity...''

Adlington participated in the thirteenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', which began airing on 17 November 2013 and was held in Australia. She finished in 6th place, being voted out by the public on 6 December 2013.


Guest appearances

*'' The Charlotte Church Show'' (28 August 2008) – Guest *''
All Star Family Fortunes ''Family Fortunes'' is a British television game show based on the American game show '' Family Feud''. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2002. A celebrity version, ''All Star Family Fortunes'', followed from 2006 t ...
'' (18 September 2010) – Contestant *''
A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...
'' (2 November 2012) – Panellist *'' I Love My Country'' (14 September 2013) – Guest *'' Celebrity Come Dine with Me'' (16 December 2013) – Contestant *''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...
'' (19 December 2013) – Contestant, with
Kian Egan Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and musician, best known as a member of pop group Westlife. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards, becoming ...
*'' The Chase: Celebrity Special'' (28 December 2013) – Contestant *'' A Question of Sport: Super Saturday'' (12 July 2014) – Guest *''
8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan. The show is based ...
'' (13 October 2014) – Guest *''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...
'' BBC Radio 4 (14 June 2015) – Interviewed at length as the guest 'castaway' *''
Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
'' (16 August 2017) – Contestant


See also

*
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women) This is the complete list of women's Olympic medalists in swimming. Current program 50 metre freestyle 100 metre freestyle 200 metre freestyle 400 metre freestyle 800 metre freestyle 1500 metre freestyle 100 metre backstroke 2 ...
* List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women) * List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women) *
World record progression 800 metres freestyle The first world record in the women's 800 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1931. The women's 880 yard freestyle had been a FINA-recognised world record ev ...


References


External links


Official Rebecca Adlington Website

British Olympic Association athlete profile

British Swimming athlete profile

British Swimming results and rankings database entry
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Adlington, Rebecca 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Mansfield Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England English Olympic medallists English female swimmers European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming British female freestyle swimmers World record setters in swimming Laureus World Sports Awards winners Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Officers of the Order of the British Empire Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Olympic swimmers of Great Britain Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Olympic gold medalists in swimming Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants