Adlington Gets to Grips as She Hunts World Glory

Rebecca Adlington eased herself out of the pool yesterday in Shanghai, collected a silver medal after finishing second in the final of the women’s 400 metres freestyle at the world swimming championships, and immediately started to think about Saturday’s 800 metres final.

The 22-year-old from Mansfield has returned for the first time to China where she won gold in both distances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but whilst becoming the 400 metres champion was a shock, she smashed the 800 metres world record which had been held for 19 years in what she has always considered to be her flagship event.

Since then, however, she has taken bronze at the 2009 worlds, gold at the 2010 Europeans and Commonwealths and now silver yesterday at the worlds in the 400 metres, and just the Commonwealth gold in the 800 metres after a fourth in the worlds and an inexplicable seventh at the Europeans.

“The reason why I’ve struggled in the 800 metres is because it is my favourite event and as a result I’ve placed so much pressure on myself to win,” she explained. “In the 400 metres I’ve just turned up and raced but in the 800 metres I’ve been so nervous ever since Beijing.

“It didn’t help that in 2009 I didn’t do enough of the right training for the longer distance because of all the post-Olympic events I threw myself into. I don’t regret enjoying myself after Beijing but it meant I wasn’t quite up to speed in the 800 metres.

“Then, because I came 4th in the worlds, it began to prey on my mind. It led to that 7th at the Europeans as well, although I’m hoping I’m over it now if you go on what I achieved both at the Commonwealth Games and in the British national trials. I’m hoping I’m back to my best and I’ve decided not to let it get to me.

“I wanted to do well in the 400 metres, even in the 200 metres although the final is probably beyond me, but there’s no doubt that I want to do best in the 800 metres.”

It has taken Adlington three years to fully get to grips with her Olympic success. This is no surprise when she reveals how her boyfriend, fellow swimmer Harry Needs, admitted to possessing a signed poster of her, before they hooked up earlier this year.

“When we first met Harry seemed quite nervous and reserved and later, once we’d got to know each more, he admitted that he had the poster and also felt slightly in awe of me because I was a double Olympic champion.

“Of course it’s still the same me but it shows people’s perceptions of you once you have achieved what I have. I was very young in Beijing and couldn’t take it all in, and this played a part in what happened since.

“It’s not all been doom and gloom. As I have repeatedly pointed out I actually recorded a personal best in the 400 metres world final in 2009 but got beaten by two better swimmers on the day. That said I’m feeling far more confident in myself these days and feel really good about the worlds this time round.”

Needs, a 19-year-old whose best event is the 100 metres butterfly, will be watching his girlfriend back at the Nottingham flat he has been living in with Adlington and another swimmer, possibly tidying up in her absence.

“He is far more OCD than I am,” she reveals. “Harry hoovers and tidies up in general. Once when I returned from training he’d decided to straighten all my DVD’s and put them in order. He told me: “I had to do it. It was bothering me.” Often in the evenings I’ll be doing a jigsaw and he’ll be cleaning.”

He will be hoping to break into the men’s senior team soon but, as Adlington points out, competition is stronger than ever with the London Olympics just one year away.

“British swimming is amazing right now,” she adds. “I can’t believe the strength of depth we have. Every year we’ve grown stronger and stronger. We seem to be working harder than ever, we have massive belief and also a collective desire for each other to do well.

“I know in my events there are three or four world-class swimmers vying for the two places at the worlds and Olympics. To beat the rest of Britain you need to be world-class, and that can only be good for us all.”

A silver medal yesterday was a pretty good return for Adlington, although gold on Saturday in the 800 metres remains her dream scenario.    

Rebecca Adlington is a Speedo sponsored athlete. For more information head to www.speedo.co.uk .

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