Rebecca Adlington Biography- Rebecca Adlington OBE, a former competitive swimmer from England, was born on February 17, 1989, and competed internationally in freestyle events. She broke Janet Evans’ 19-year-old world record in the 800-meter final when she won two gold medals in the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Adlington became the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908 and the country’s first swimming champion since 1988. She took home silver in the 400 meters at the same competition and her first World Championship gold in the 800 meters in 2011. She went on to earn bronze in the women’s 400 and 800-meter freestyle events at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Adlington is one of the select few winners.
Rebecca Adlington Biography 2025
Following a miscarriage, Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington underwent emergency surgery. The 33-year-old former professional swimmer wrote a lengthy message on Instagram on Tuesday explaining how she found out she was no longer pregnant after a 12-week scan. Adlington stated that she was treated for sepsis, a kidney infection, and fever after leaving the hospital on Thursday. She was readmitted on Friday. It has been a “devastating time” for her and her spouse, she said, even if she is now “slowly on the mend”. Adlington posted a picture of herself holding a cup of tea and said, “On Tuesday, Andy and I went to the hospital for our 12-week scan. When we arrived, we found out we suffered a miscarriage, which required emergency surgery. I made it out of the hospital on Thursday, but only to.
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Rebecca Adlington Biography 2025 Details
Full name
Rebecca Adlington
National team
Great Britain
Born
17 February 1989 (age 35) Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
Rebecca Adlington OBE is an English former competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle events in international competition. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle, breaking the 19-year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800-metre final.
Born: 17 February 1989 (age 35 years), Mansfield, United Kingdom
Born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on February 17, 1989, Rebecca Adlington went to The Brunts School there. She was one of 94 athletes from “the world of aquatics” to receive the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence award (AASE) in 2009. The purpose of the AASE is to identify outstanding athletes who have the capacity to excel academically while pursuing competitive training.
Adlington began swimming with the Sherwood Colliery Swimming Club and was chosen for the Nova Centurion Swimming Club, the Nottinghamshire County Elite Squad. She competed in the National Speedo ‘B’ Final in May 2010 and swam for Nottingham Leander Swimming Club in local competitions. Terry Adlington was Adlington’s great-uncle, a former Derby County goalkeeper. and she is a devoted follower of Derby.
Husband
However, her fame was instrumental in the breakup of her first marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Harry Needs, who she split up from in 2016 before she met her current husband, Andy Parsons
Competitive career
Adlington competed in the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle competitions as a representative of Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She was supposed to compete in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay as well, but the team didn’t make it to the finals since she rested throughout the heat. With a timing of 4:02.24 in the 400-meter freestyle heats, she broke the Commonwealth record. With a time of 4:03.22, she won the gold medal in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, surpassing American Katie Hoff in the final 20 meters. Since 1960, when Anita Lonsbrough won swimming gold for Great Britain, she was the first woman to do so. She was the first swimmer from Britain to win several gold medals in a single competition.
Adlington claimed in 2009 that she struggled with the pressure put on her before the World Aquatics Championships in Rome, when she set a personal record in the 400-meter freestyle but only took home a bronze. In the 4×200-meter freestyle, she grabbed another bronze. She placed fourth in her favorite event, the 800-meter freestyle.
Recognition
Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer Adlington as she traveled by in an open-top bus and later saw her at a ceremony at Mansfield Town Hall in August 2008, the month she returned home to Mansfield. During a special ceremony held at Mansfield’s Civic Center offices in 2008, following her Olympic return, Adlington received a pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes from Tony Egginton, who was the executive mayor at the time. Adlington won the title of Sportswoman of the Year from the Sports Journalists’ Association in November 2008. The Princess Royal, who had previously won the same title, presented Adlington with her trophy during a ceremony held in the City of London. She placed third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year poll on December 14, 2008.
Television
The lunchtime discussion show Loose Women on ITV featured Adlington as a guest panelist on three occasions in 2014: March 25, April 17, and May 22. She competed in The Jump Series 3 but had to withdraw on February 7, 2016, because to a shoulder dislocation sustained in training. Together with Helen Skelton and Mark Foster, Adlington presented the swimming events for the BBC during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She performed the same job in the World Aquatics Championships in 2017, the European Championships in 2018, and the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020, among other events.
Rebecca Adlington Net Worth 2025
Rebecca Adlington OBE, considered one of Britain’s top swimmers, Olympic Gold medalist, and World Record holder, has an estimated net worth of £1.1 million. Born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on February 17, 1989, Adlington began swimming at a young age and excelled in local competitions. She achieved remarkable success by setting records in the 800-metre freestyle at the Ninth FINA World Swimming Championships in Manchester in 2008. Adlington continued her winning streak at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, clinching Gold in the 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle events, setting a new world record in the latter. Her outstanding performances led to her being honored with an OBE in 2009. Throughout her career, she garnered numerous accolades, including Sportswoman of the Year and high rankings in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. Adlington’s success extended to international competitions, where she secured multiple medals, solidifying her status as one of Britain’s most accomplished athletes. After retiring from competitive swimming in 2013, Adlington transitioned to a role as a sports pundit for the BBC.
Commercial coaching and leisure outlets
Adlington belongs to the business group Total Swimming Group, which also includes former athletes Steve Parry and Adrian Turner. The group’s purpose is to offer teaching and recreational opportunities. In 2022, JD Sports invested, gaining a 60% share. Adlington joined about 200 other people to form a pressure group in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown and the global energy crisis of 2021–2023, urging the continuation of the UK energy subsidy and the energy price cap, which ends in April 2023, to help energy-hungry swimming pools survive potential closures.
Personal life
Adlington’s sister suffered from encephalitis, a brain inflammation, in 2005. Although her sister eventually made a full recovery, the experience affected Adlington, who stated in 2012, “It made me more determined.” It forces me to work out more. In an effort to increase public awareness of the disease, Adlington joined the Encephalitis Society as an Ambassador in 2009. Comedian Frankie Boyle was censured in 2009 by the BBC Trust’s Editorial Standards Committee for violating rules in 2008 when he used “unnecessary innuendo” and “humiliating and offensive” statements during a BBC 2 broadcast of Mock The Week, mocking Adlington’s appearance. Adlington’s mother said that her daughter was more distressed as a result of the BBC’s decision to make the ruling public.
Who is Rebecca Adlington in a relationship with?
On 4 March 2021, Adlington and her boyfriend, Andy Parsons, announced the birth of their son.
How many children has Rebecca Adlington had?
Rebecca is as down-to-earth as they come when we chat to her, and a doting mum to her two children. She shares Albie, two, with her husband of two years, Andy Parsons, and Summer, eight, with her ex, former swimmer Harry Needs.