PAYNE Keri-Anne < Back  
Sport Open Water Swimming
CGA England   
Gender Women
Born 09 Dec 1987 in Johannesburg, SAF
Height1.77 m
Weight 66 kg
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Edinburgh, SCO
Higher education Media Studies - London School of Journalism: England
General Interest
Injuries She was stung in the mouth by a jellyfish while leading the 10km open water event at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. She was forced to stop for a gel drink and eventually finished 11th. (independent.co.uk, 21 Mar 2007)

In 2005 she spent about two months out of competition with a back injury. (Athlete, 31 Jul 2008)
Famous relatives Her sister played water polo for South Africa. Her husband Dave Carry swam for Scotland. (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010; dailymail.co.uk, 20 Jul 2011)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? Her brother was a swimmer and got her involved in the sport.
General Interest
Hero / Idol British swimmer Steve Parry. (Athlete, 31 Jul 2008)
International Debut
Year 2006
Competing for England
Tournament Commonwealth Games
Location Melbourne, VIC, AUS
Further Personal Information
Languages English
General Interest
Nicknames Kez (British Swimming, 03 Mar 2006)
Other information RETIREMENT
She retired from competitive swimming in January 2017. "The sport of swimming has given me life-defining experiences. It's helped me find joy in taking on incredible challenges and created friendships that have enriched my life. The decision to retire from competitive swimming has been made easy as I continue to chase and fuel my passion, inspiring people to share my love of open water." (swimming.org, 25 Jan 2017)

HEALTHY IS TASTY
She is on a self-proclaimed "mission to prove that healthy food can be tasty." Her website provides monthly recipes that shows the type of food she makes to ensure she remains in good condition. She is gluten intolerant and her recipes can be found on social media under the hashtag #healthyistasty. (keriannepayne.co.uk, 02 Sep 2015)

BREAK
In 2014 she took a break from competitive swimming, returning in 2015 to focus on qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (h2openmagazine.com, 23 Jan 2015)

SKILL FORCE
She is an ambassador for Duke of Edinburgh Skill Force, a charity organisation that helps young people achieve vocational qualification through a range of activity-based projects. (keriannepayne.com, 19 Jul 2010)

EARLY DAYS
In 2002, at age 14, she smashed Sarah Hardcastle's British 800m freestyle record by more than four seconds. Hardcastle had set the previous record in 1984, three years before Payne was born. (The Observer, 02 Mar 2003)

FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO ENGLAND
Her parents were originally from England, but moved to Johannesburg, South Africa in the 1980s. The family returned to England in April 2001. (Rochdale Observer, 29 Dec 2005; The Observer, 02 Mar 2003)

NATIONAL FIRST
She became Britain's first open water world champion when she won gold at the 2009 World Championships in the 10km event. (Rochdale Observer, 25 Jul 2009)
Further Personal Information
Family Husband Dave Carry
Sport Specific Information
Footedness Right
When and where did you begin this sport? She began swimming at age four.