Rebecca Adlington stars in Team GB podcast

Swimming 10 Aug 20

Rebecca Adlington did not believe her coach Bill Furniss, when he told her life would change forever.

Just 19 years old, the Mansfield swimmer could hardly comprehend what she achieved at the Beijing Olympics, where she made history by becoming the first Team GB swimmer in 100 years to win more than one gold at a single Games.

Adlington won both the 400m and 800m freestyle and quickly became an overnight sensation, the face of British swimming and a national icon. At London 2012, she added two bronze medals to her collection.

As part of Team GB’s Moments That Made Me podcast, Adlington spoke to Radzi Chinyanganya and told him about the moments that made her.

The full conversation is available on the Moments That Made Me podcast, in association with the University of Hull, and is available on iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Simply search Team GB wherever you get your podcasts from and you’ll find the Moments That Made Me podcast.

Moment One – Beijing glory

Adlington arrived in Beijing as a medal hopeful in the 800m freestyle, while the 400m was just a bit of fun.

Her parents, so convinced that she would not contend over the shorter distance, decided to skip the 400m and fly out later in the week. But Adlington stunned the world.

“I was so nervous. The finals were in the morning and we were not used to that but it makes a huge difference. I woke up feeling lethargic,” she said.

“And then something happened with 100m to go, I felt in the zone and I had blown all the cobwebs away but I still thought Katie [Hoff] was too far ahead to catch. I looked for the scoreboard, which was behind us and so far away. I could not work it out! And then I saw the number one.

“I looked at Jo [Jackson] and saw the number three next to her name and it was an amazing moment to share with your best mate. It was unbelievable. Every time I look back at it, I still don’t know how I won it.”

The rest of Adlington’s day went by in a blur of drugs tests and TV interviews. But it gave her a ton of confidence for the 800m freestyle, her favoured event.

“The 800m felt different, I felt ready. It was the only time I turned round to my coach and said ‘Bill, I’m ready’. We knew something would happen.

“With 200m to go, Bill was going crazy and I had no idea what it meant. He’s normally such a calm person, so I panicked and put my foot down.

“I knew I won but seeing the world record was unbelievable. My parents were there as well but I had no idea where they were sat.

“So, I was looking round for them and I could not find them. But somehow the cameraman found them and they came up on the screen, and it was this perfect sequence. It was my movie moment.”

Moment Two – Home sweet home

Still, we talk about that glorious summer of 2012. The London Olympics brought a country together and Team GB’s athletes delivered in style.

Adlington was under pressure to deliver after her Beijing brilliance, and she did not disappoint.

“It is amazing to experience an Olympics but to experience a home Olympics is like winning the lottery,” she said.

“Sir Steve Redgrave went to five and never had a home one. With that, came a lot of pressure and expectation. Everyone expected me to get two golds.

“I knew I didn’t have the speed for the 400m really, that had moved on. I swam in the heat and thought I had not made the final, so I was crying in the swim-down pool.

“There was a heat left and I scraped in the final in eighth. To get the bronze was amazing. It was like a gold.

“For the 800m, I dived in the final and I had nothing more to give, it was so bizarre. I knew I was capable but sometimes, your best is not good enough.

“I am proud of the bronze now, looking back, and of the person I am. I was not a sore loser and handled it well.”

Moment Three – Motherhood

Adlington retired from swimming soon after the London 2012 games and has embarked on several new adventures.

In 2013, she entered I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, while she was part of the BBC presenting team at Rio 2016.

But one thing stands out. In 2015, she gave birth to her daughter – Summer.

“It has totally changed me as a person,” she said.

“I had to be selfish as a swimmer and then I am also very opinionated, see things as very black and white. And then this little one arrived and I am now very soft!

“I have a bond with her that is absolutely amazing. I often forget about swimming because it is not in my day-to-day life. I showed her my Olympic medals before and she just swings them around. That chapter of my life is closed.”

Moment Four – A turbulent year

Just four years before Adlington became a superstar, she and her family faced a very different challenge all together.

In 2004, Adlington contracted glandular fever, while her older sister Chloe also started to struggle with ME. However, the worst was to come when her other sister, Laura, was diagnosed encephalitis – a brain disease.

“She had a fit in front of us, went into intensive care and was put into an induced coma. We had no idea what was wrong with her,” Adlington said.

“I remember the doctors at one point telling us to say our goodbyes, they didn’t think she would survive.

“I was a mess. I never went to see her in a coma because I did not want my last vision of her to be with tubes everywhere. Now, I look back and wish I had but at the time, I was 15.

“Luckily, she pulled through but it changed us as a family, it brought us together. Swimming became my escape. No matter what emotion I felt, I went swimming. It was my meditation. It helped my career because it helped me put everything into perspective.”

Tags