Fran Halsall

European Champion, Commonwealth Champion and World silver medalist, Fran Halsall is fast becoming one of the World’s biggest names in Sprint swimming. At the 2010 European Championships she became Britain’s most successful swimmer at a single European Championships. Fran then emulated this at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi when she medaled in five events again, more than any other athlete on the English team. Fran is one of the best looking British female athletes in any Olympic sport. She is also a great character with a vivacious personality.

Fran is the current British Record holder in the 100m and 50m freestyle, as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly. Fran began swimming at seven years old and by the age of 15 she was representing the British senior team and qualified to compete in her first Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where she came 4th in the 100m Freestyle. She also swam the anchor legs for the 100m freestyle relay team and the medley relay team winning 2 Silver medals. In the same year, at the European Long Course Championships, she came 4th in the 100m freestyle and anchored the medley team to Gold in a British record time.

At the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing Fran qualified for the final of 3 out of the 6 events she competed in setting a new British Record in the 100m individual freestyle as well as helping break the British Record in the 4×100m freestyle relay and 4×100m medley relay.

In 2009 Fran started with a new coach and a heavier training schedule than ever before. This new regime brought her extra strength, which showed at the World Championship 100m Freestyle final in Rome when she powered to a silver medal ahead of former World and Olympic Champion Lisbeth Trickett.

At the 2010 European Championships Fran won her first individual senior international title in the 100m freestyle as well as taking Gold in the 4×100m medley relay, Silver in the 100m butterfly, Silver in the 4×100m freestyle relay and Bronze in the 50m freestyle; with 5 medals in 5 events Fran became the most successful British Swimmer ever at a European Championships. Despite suffering with “Delhi Belly”, Fran went on to repeat this 5 medal success at the Commonwealth Games.

After surgery on her ankle led to a disrupted winter, Fran put in some solid swims at the World Championships in Shanghai in July where she finished 4th in both the 50m and 100m freestyle. At the Olympics in London 2012 she hopes to be competing in more events than anyone else in Team GB. She will have a realistic chance of medalling in all of them and may yet emerge as one of the major stars if 2012.

http://www.francescahalsall.com - Click here for Fran’s website

Achievements:

British record holder in the 50m & 100m freestyle, 50m & 100m Butterfly

2011 4th – 50m Freestyle, World Championships, Shanghai

2011 4th – 100m Freestyle, World Championships, Shanghai

2011 Gold - 100m & 50m Freestyle, National Championships

2011 Silver - 100m Butterfly, National Championships

2010 Gold - 50m Butterfly, Commonwealth Games

2010 Silver – 50m Freestyle, Commonwealth Games

2010 Bronze – 100m Freestyle, Commonwealth Games

2010 Silver - 4×100m Freestyle Relay, Commonwealth Games

2010 Silver – 4×100m Medley Relay, Commonwealth Games

2010 Gold – 100m Freestyle, European Championships

2010 Gold – 4×100m Medley Relay, European Championships

2010 Bronze – 50m Freestyle, European Championships

2010 Silver - 100m Butterfly, European Championships

2010 Silver - 4×100m Freestyle Relay, European Championships

2010 Gold - 100m & 50m Freestyle 100m Butterfly, National Championships

2009 Silver – 100m Freestyle, World Championships

2009 5th - 50m Freestyle, World Championships

2009 4th - 4×100m Medley Relay, World Championships

2009 Gold – 100m & 50m Freestyle, National Championships

2009 Silver – 100m Butterfly, National Championships

2009 4th – 4×100m Relay, World Championships

2008 4th - 4×100m Medley Relay, Olympic Games, Beijing

2008 7th - 4×100m Freestyle Relay, Olympic Games, Beijing

2008 8th - 100m Freestyle Final, Olympic Games, Beijing

2008 Silver – 100m Freestyle, World Short Course Championships

2008 Bronze – 50m Freestyle, World Short Course Championships

2008 Bronze – 4×100m Freestyle & Medley Relay, World Short Course

2008 Gold – 4×100m Medley Relay, European Championships

2008 Gold - 50m Freestyle & 50m Butterfly, National Championships