Rebecca Adlington, Great Britain’s most decorated and successful female Olympic swimmer has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame with the class of 2018.
The induction ceremony took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last weekend that saw 10 other international aquatic athletes recognised.
More on Adlington’s career…
By the age of 14, when she was demonstrating real potential as a distance swimmer, she came under the guidance of current GB Head Coach Bill Furniss, who would remain her coach throughout her career. She thrived on the routine of training twice a day, four times a week, with Saturday mornings and also regular competitions.
Her mental toughness coupled but her unquestionable commitment to training made her one of Britain’s brightest Olympic hopefuls. After just a year working with Furniss she won the 800m Freestyle gold at the 2004 European Junior Championships.
In 2006, she won the silver medal again in the 800m Free at the European Championships in Budapest, but then placed 10th in the same event the following year.
As the British Olympic Trials in 2008 approached, Adlington knew she would have to give it her all and she went on to win the 200m and 400m Freestyle events, in addition to the 800m, which was her signature event.
First on the schedule at the Beijing 2008 Games was the 400m Free, an event she had anticipated not to qualify for Team GB. A powerful heats swim saw her book into the Olympic final in lane five.
In the final, she went from fifth place with 50 meters to go to snatch the gold medal ahead of American Katie Hoff and teammate Joanne Jackson in a thrilling finger-tip finish. It was the first Olympic gold medal for a British woman since Anita Lonsbrough who won the 200m Breaststroke in 1960.
Five days later it was the 800m Freestyle and she went on to destroy the field, lowering Janet Evans’ world record that had stood for 19 years.
Becky was the most successful female swimmer Britain had ever produced and the first Team GB swimmer since Henry Taylor to win multiple gold medals at a Games, 100 years earlier in 1908.
In 2009 she was an Officer of the British Order (OBE) by HRH Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. And in 2010, the refurbished Sherwood Swimming Baths were renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre.
Between Beijing and London, she stood on the podium in every major international event in which she competed. When she won gold in the 800m and silver in the 400m freestyle at the 2011 FINA Championships in Shanghai, expectations were high that she could repeat her double gold medal performance in London.
When Adlington took bronze in the 400m at London 2012, she was delighted – for the 400m was her weaker race. But after winning a second bronze in the 800, the disappointment showed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t win,” she said after the race, and “I hope the public were still proud of me.”
At the age of 23 she retired as Great Britain’s most decorated female swimmer Olympian of all time.