Freya Anderson
Freya Anderson (born 4 March 2001) is a British swimmer, known primarily for her achievements as a freestyle sprinter.[2] Anderson achieved seven gold medals and three bronze medals at the European Championships, including 5 golds and a bronze in a single meet at the 2020 European Championships in Budapest, as well as two bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. In July 2021, she won gold as part of the British team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay, swimming the freestyle anchor leg in the heat.
Early life[]
Anderson started swimming lessons at the age of five and began to swim competitively when she was nine. She attended St Joseph's primary school and then Upton Hall Convent School before winning a scholarship to Ellesmere College in Shropshire. Anderson was painfully shy as a child; she described how she almost fled College when she was caught breaking rules and using an iPad at night. At the time, she was scared of swimming and she would cry and scream when her mother took her to swimming lessons. Always tall for her age she would walk on the pool floor, and get in trouble for it. She credits swimming with boosting her confidence.[2]
She hates swimming in the sea, lakes or any open water, and is allergic to chlorine.[2]
Career[]
Anderson won the 2016 British Swimming Championships 100m freestyle, with a time of 54.35. Her swim in the heats, 54.40, eclipsed British Swimming’s 10 year record, and she proceeded to lower it again in the finals. Anderson won the Gold at 2016 European Junior Championships in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary, finishing 0.25 seconds ahead of the field in the 100m freestyle with a time of 54.72. Following a highly successful season Anderson won the Emerging Swimmer of the Year prize at the 2016 British Swimming Awards.[2]
As a junior swimmer, Anderson won the 100 metre freestyle event at the 2017 World Junior Swimming Championships in Indianapolis. A year later she became the European Junior Champion at the 50 metre and 100 metre freestyle distances at the European Junior Swimming Championships. She was also part of the Great Britain team that won gold in the women's medley relay and a silver in the mixed medley relay in what was her breakthrough year in to the British senior team.[3]
Anderson competed in the women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.[4][5]
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games Anderson made her Commonwealth Games debut, competing for England and won bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay and in the 4×200 m freestyle relay events.[6]
At the 2018 European Championships, Anderson was part of the British team that won bronze in the mixed 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, a new event at the game.[7] She was also part of the British teams that won gold in the mixed 4 x 100 metre medley relay and gold in the women's women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay,[8][9] and ended the championships with another bronze in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay.[10] Anderson finished fourth in her individual 100 metre freestyle event, but set a new junior European record.
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea, Anderson won a bronze as part of the team in the 4 × 100 m mixed medley relay.[11] Anderson was named as a member of the "high quality" team to go to the postponed 2020 Olympics in April 2021. This was Anderson's first Olympics.[12]
Anderson was named as a member of the British team to go to the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This would be her first Olympics and she joined as part of what was considered a "high quality" swimming team.[13] Anderson swam the anchor leg in the heat of the Mixed 4 x 100 metre medley relay, receiving a gold medal when the team, now with Anna Hopkin on anchor, won the final.[14]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "Freya Anderson Swimming". Team England. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Freya Anderson". British Swimming.
- ^ "Freya Anderson wins three golds in last European Championships as a junior". Sky Sports. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ "Heats results". FINA. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ "2017 World Aquatics Championships > Search via Athletes". Budapest 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ "Freya Anderson". Gold Coast 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Results - 4 X 200m FREESTYLE RELAY MIXED - FINAL". European Championships. European Championships Management Sàrl. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "European Championships 2018: Peaty, Anderson, Guy & Davies win mixed relay gold". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Results - 4 X 200m FREESTYLE RELAY WOMEN - FINAL". European Championships. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ Ashenden, Mark (9 August 2018). "Freya Anderson wins relay bronze to end European Swimming Championships". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Watch: GB clinch bronze in 4x100m medley relay". BBC Sport. 24 July 2019.
- ^ "'Exceptionally high-quality' team named for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". Swim England Competitive Swimming Hub. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "'Exceptionally high-quality' team named for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". Swim England Competitive Swimming Hub. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Olympic gold for Chorley's Anna Hopkin". Lancashire Evening Post. 31 July 2021.
External links[]
- Freya Anderson at FINA
- Freya Anderson at SwimRankings.net
- Freya Anderson at Olympedia
- Freya Anderson at Team England
- Freya Anderson at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games
- 2001 births
- Living people
- British female swimmers
- British female freestyle swimmers
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
- European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in swimming
- Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
- Olympic swimmers of Great Britain
- Sportspeople from Birkenhead
- Swimmers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
- Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics