Chris Walker-Hebborn

Last updated

Chris Walker-Hebborn
Kazan 2015 - UK wins gold and set WR at mixed medley relay (Chris Walker-Hebborn cropped).JPG
Walker-Hebborn in 2015
Personal information
Full nameChristopher James Walker-Hebborn
Nickname"Chris"
National teamFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Born (1990-07-01) 1 July 1990 (age 34)
Enfield, London
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [1]
Weight80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Backstroke
Club University of Bath
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Kazan 4×100 m mixed medley
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Budapest 4x100 m medley
World Championships (SC)
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2014 Doha 4×50 m mixed medley
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Berlin 100 m backstroke
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2014 Berlin 4×100 m medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2014 Berlin 4×100 m mixed medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2016 London 4×100 m medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 London 4×100 m mixed medley
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2014 Berlin 50 m backstroke
European Championships (SC)
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2013 Herning 100 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Netanya 50 m backstroke
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2015 Netanya100 m backstroke
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Glasgow 100 m backstroke
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2014 Glasgow 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2010 Delhi 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2014 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle

Christopher James Walker-Hebborn (born 1 July 1990) is an English swimmer who competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal at the latter. [1]

Contents

A successful youth and junior athlete, Walker-Hebborn achieved a breakout year in 2014, winning two Commonwealth Games titles and three European Championship titles, including the Commonwealth Games and European Championships 100-metre backstroke gold medals.

A key member of the England and Great Britain medley relay teams, he formed part of the world record breaking, world title winning Great Britain mixed medley team at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. He also won gold medals as part of the England men's medley relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and both men's and mixed medlay relay teams at the 2014 European Aquatics Championships, again with Great Britain. In 2016 he was part of the Great Britain team to retain both the men's and mixed medley relay titles, his fourth and fifth European golds. At the 2016 Rio Olympics he won a silver medal as part of the men's 4 × 100 m medley relay.

Early career

He is currently based at the University of Bath, where he trains at one of British Swimming's Intensive Training Centres. As a teenager he spent two years at the British Offshore Centre in Australia at The Southport School, from 2006 to 2008.

In March 2009, he qualified for his first senior World Championships after beating event favourite James Goddard in the 200 m backstroke at the British Championships, held in Sheffield. [2]

Walker-Hebborn's preliminary heat performance in Rome secured him a place in the semifinals where, as one of the few swimmers not wearing the controversial[ clarification needed ] full body suit. This is when he set a new British record to become a finalist. The record was to stand only briefly, as he broke it again in the finals (1:56.05), placing 9th.

He was offered a scholarship at Florida State University in January 2009 but returned to his Bury St. Edmunds home after just a few weeks due to lack of long course training.

Later career

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the men's 100 and 200 m backstroke, finishing in 20th and 22nd respectively. [1]

In 2014, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games in the 100 m backstroke, in a new Games record of 53.12 seconds. [3] He was also part of the English 4 × 100 m medley relay team that won gold in a Games record, and the 4 × 100 m freestyle team that won bronze. [4] [5]

At the 2016, he teamed with Adam Peaty, James Guy and Duncan Scott in the GB team that won a silver medal in the men's 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics. [6] He also finished in 11th in the men's 100 m backstroke. [1]

Chris Walker-Hebborn with the gold-winning team in 4 x 100 m mixed medley at the 2015 Kazan World Championship Kazan 2015 - UK wins gold and set WR at mixed medley relay.JPG
Chris Walker-Hebborn with the gold-winning team in 4 × 100 m mixed medley at the 2015 Kazan World Championship

Competition results

International competitionEventTimePosition
World Championships 2009 200 m backstroke1:56.05 (former NR)9th
Domestic competitionEventTimePosition
British Championships 2014 100 m backstroke53.82GOLD
50 m backstroke25.09GOLD
British Championships 2011 100 m backstroke55.41SILVER
200 m backstroke2:01.94BRONZE
British Championships 2010 200 m backstroke1:57.39SILVER
100 m backstroke54.78SILVER
200 m freestyle1:49.986th
British Championships 2009 200 m backstroke1:57.95GOLD
100 m backstroke54.96SILVER
200 m freestyle1:48.995th

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Tancock</span> English swimmer (born 1985)

Liam John Tancock is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and England in the Commonwealth Games. He specialised in backstroke and individual medley events. He is a three-time world champion and a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and held the world record in the 50-metre backstroke for almost a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Halsall</span> British swimmer (born 1990)

Francesca Jean Halsall is a retired English competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. She competed primarily in freestyle and butterfly events.

Adam Thorp Brown is an English competition swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics and FINA world championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. Brown specialises in the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle sprint swimming events.

Martin Harris is an English former International competitive swimmer and backstroke specialist.

Sally Hunter, née Sally Foster, is an Australian breaststroke swimmer. She won the silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke event at the 2008 FINA Short Course World Championships. Hunter is an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She competed in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, reaching the final in 2012. She won the silver medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and was a member of Australia's gold-medal-winning 4×100-metre medley relay team.

Tommaso William D'Orsogna is an Australian freestyle swimmer. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's 4×100-metre medley relay. He also won gold in that event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in a Games record time. Individually, at those Commonwealth Games, he won the bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle.

Marco Antonio Loughran is an English-born British competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics and FINA world championships, European Championships and Wales in the Commonwealth Games. He has also competed under Team Europe at Duel in the Pool 2011.

Belinda Hocking is a retired Australian backstroke swimmer. She is an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.

Joseph Peter "Joe" Roebuck is an English swimmer.

Amy Louis Smith is a British swimmer.

Georgia Beth Davies is a British competition swimmer who has represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games and European championships, and swam for Wales in the Commonwealth Games. She has won gold in the Commonwealth Games and European Championships. She currently represents Energy Standard in the International Swimming League.

Leith Shankland is a South African swimmer. He competed in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is 6'5" and 200 lbs.

Calum George Jarvis is a Welsh competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain in World Championships and the Olympics, and Wales in the Commonwealth Games. Jarvis competes primarily in freestyle and backstroke events. In 2014, he competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as part of the Welsh team, winning the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Peaty</span> British swimmer (born 1994)

Adam George Peaty is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, and retained the title at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Guy (swimmer)</span> British swimmer (born 1995)

James George Guy is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in freestyle and butterfly. Guy has won multiple gold medals at each of the major international meets available to him, including for Great Britain at the Olympic Games (3), the World (5) and European Championships (7), and for England in the Commonwealth Games (2). In addition to further medals in those events, he has also reached the podium at both the World and European short-course championships. With 46 major medals at international championship meets, 20 at global level, he is one of the most decorated swimmers in British history.

Luke Greenbank is an English professional swimmer who specialises in backstroke. A medalist in the 200 metre backstroke at the Olympic Games and the World and European championships, he also swam the first leg in the 2019 World and 2020 European Championship gold medal-winning Great Britain medley relay teams. He won a silver medal as lead-off for Great Britain in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay for men at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal as lead-off for England in the heats of the 4 x 100 metre medley relay for men at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan Scott (swimmer)</span> Scottish competitive swimmer

Duncan William MacNaughton Scott is a Scottish swimmer representing Great Britain at the FINA World Aquatics Championships, LEN European Aquatics Championships, European Games and the Olympic Games, and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Scott made history after winning four medals - more than any other British athlete at a single Olympic Games - in Tokyo 2020, simultaneously becoming Great Britain's most decorated swimmer in Olympic history. With an additional gold and silver medal in Paris 2024 bringing his total to eight, Scott became Scotland's most-decorated Olympian, and is currently tied with Bradley Wiggins as the second most-decorated Olympian in British history. Scott is the only athlete in the top three to still be actively competing, and the only member of the top four who is not a track cyclist.

Corey Charles Garth Main is a New Zealand swimmer who qualified to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the men's 100 metre backstroke.

Brodie Paul Williams is a British swimmer.

Medi Eira Harris is a Welsh international swimmer competing for Great Britain and Wales in backstroke and freestyle. She was part of the gold medal-winning women's 4x100 freestyle relay team at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships. Representing Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, she won a bronze medal in the women's 100 metre backstroke.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Chris Walker-Hebborn". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. "'Poppet' backs himself for a stroke of fortune". The Independent . 22 March 2009.
  3. "Glasgow 2014 - Men's 100m Backstroke Final". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  4. "Glasgow 2014 - Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final". g2014results.thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  5. "Glasgow 2014 - Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Great Britain Swimming at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.