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Rebecca Adlington, OBE (born 17 February 1989 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British freestyle swimmer. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final. Adlington is Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908 and Great Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer in 100 years.[1]
BackgroundAdlington attended The Brunts School in Mansfield.[2] Adlington started swimming with Sherwood Colliery Swimming Club,[3] and was selected for the Nottinghamshire County Swim Squad (Nova Centurion)[4] where she currently trains. She still swims in local swimming leagues for Nottingham Leander Swimming Club, taking part in the National Speedo 'B' Final in May 2008.[5] Adlington's great uncle is former Derby County goalkeeper Terry Adlington.[6] 2008 Summer OlympicsAdlington represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Olympics, competing in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle swimming events. She was also scheduled to swim in the 4×200 m freestyle relay but was rested in the heat and the team failed to qualify for the final. In the heats of the 400 m freestyle, she broke the Commonwealth record with a time of 4:02.24.[7] On 11 August 2008 she won an Olympic gold medal in the same event, with a time of 4:03.22, beating Katie Hoff of the United States in the last 20 m.[8] She was the first woman to win swimming gold for Great Britain since Anita Lonsbrough in 1960.[9] 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.[10] Adlington set a new British, Commonwealth, European and Olympic record 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 800 m Olympic freestyle final on 16 August 2008 in a world record time of 8:14.10, her second gold of the tournament, a full six seconds ahead of the silver medalist, and two seconds ahead of the former world record which had been set by Janet Evans when Adlington was 6 months old. At the time, this was swimming's longest standing world record.[11] RecognitionThe Sherwood Swimming Baths in Adlington's hometown of Mansfield, where she began swimming as a child, is to be renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre when it is reopened after refurbishment in September 2009.[12] The Yates Bar in Mansfield was renamed the Adlington Arms in her honour, although it soon reverted to its original name.[13] In November 2008, Adlington was named as the Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain's Sportswoman of the Year, receiving her trophy at a ceremony in the City of London from HRH The Princess Royal, herself a former winner of that award. On 14 December 2008, she was voted third in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[14][15] Mock The WeekBBC comedy show Mock the week breached guidelines after comedian Frankie Boyle made offensive jokes about Rebecca Adlington. [16] Adlington's agent has said the BBC Trust did not take a tough enough stance over comments made about the swimmer in Mock the Week. Boyle said that Adlington 'resembled somebody looking at themselves in the back of a spoon'.[17] Personal bests and records held
Legend: WR – World record; ER – European record; CR – Commonwealth record; NR – British record; Records not set in finals: (h) – heat; (sf) – semifinal; (r) – relay 1st leg; (rh) – relay heat 1st leg; (b) – B final; † – en route to final mark; (tt) – time trial References
External links
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