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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | ITC Loughborough [ENG] / Nunawading [AUS]: Loughborough, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Biking, running. (katehaywood.com, 03 Jun 2011) |
| Injuries | Pulled out of the 2009 World Championships in Rome due to a hip injury. In-depth scans revealed a torn cartilage on the eve of the championships. She underwent surgery in September and spent five weeks on crutches, ultimately returning to competition in January 2010. (thisisgrimsby.co.uk, 29 Oct 2009; katehaywood.com, 03 Jun 2011) Tonsilitis which required her tonsils to be removed kept her out of the Great Britain squad for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. (lincolnshiresports.com, 07 Jan 2006) In 2002 an elbow injury kept her out of training for five months. (BBC Sport, 05 Jun 2002) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning a bronze medal as part of England's 4x100m medley relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and winning gold in the same event at the 2008 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in a new European record. "I wasn't expecting a performance like that," she said. "We're absolutely thrilled. We were quick this morning after we decided just to give it a go but to get the gold and the record tonight is encouraging. We felt we had nothing to lose and that's the way we attacked the race." (britishswimming.co.uk, 06 Apr 2008, creatingexcellence.co.uk, 16 Apr 2008) |
| Famous relatives | Her great-grandfather is Warneford Creswell, a former Everton and England footballer. (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She signed up for swimming lessons and really enjoyed them. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Her parents and Sharron Davies. (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010) |
| Hero / Idol | Great Britain's Olympic silver medallist Sharron Davies. (British Swimming, 05 Aug 2006) |
| Awards and honours | Named as the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year for 2003. (BBC Sport, 14 Dec 2003) At 16, she became the youngest swimmer to represent England at the Commonwealth Games when she swam in Manchester in 2002. (BBC Sport, 14 Dec 2003) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Rohan Taylor |
| Training Regime | She does 10 two-hour swimming sessions and three weights sessions a week. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She took up swimming at the age of seven at her local club. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2002 |
| Competing for | England |
| Tournament | Commonwealth Games |
| Location | Manchester |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "You need to put the hours in because it will not be handed to you on a plate." (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010) |
| Other information | ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA She felt she had fallen out of love with her sport until she decided to move to Australia in 2011, where her love for swimming was rekindled. "I have fallen in love with swimming again. I had an amazing time working with the group in Loughborough but I needed this change. I had got to the point where I was not enjoying swimming any more and that needed to change." (thisisgrimsby.co.uk, 01 Mar 2012) NEW COACH, NEW TECHNIQUE After moving to Australia and changing coach, she believes her new training regime has changed her technique. "I know it sounds strange but I think and swim differently, even my stroke has changed slightly. I have worked on a lot of different techniques and my stroke is now more efficient and a lot longer in the water. It is hard to explain some of the changes as they are quite technical but perhaps the easiest way to understand it is that Rohan [Taylor] has got me to be more streamlined. As a breaststroker you create a wave in front of you and before I was swimming into that wave. What Rohan has taught me to do is swim under it. I'm more in shape than I have ever been." (thisisgrimsby.co.uk, 01 Mar 2012) POST-LONDON RETIREMENT She said she would retire after the 2012 Olympic Games in London. "It has been a long time and a big part of my life. I don't want to keep swimming until I'm 30. I would like to stop and try other things. It would be good to call it a day after the Olympics at home." (thisislincolnshire.co.uk, 14 Feb 2012) INJURY TORMENT She considered quitting her sport following her 2009 injury. "Recovery was hard, it was a depressing time. I did not know what to do and I thought about quitting. Swimming was all I knew and I was just having to sit around on the couch." She decided to carry on because of her desire to participate at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (telegraph.co.uk, 23 Feb 2012) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Loughborough University: Loughborough, ENG |