As the first British woman to win a World Championship gold medal and competing for her country since 13yrs old, Katy is one of Britain’s top competitors in her sport.
SPORTS BIO
She has experienced the extreme highs and lows in swimming from winning gold in Barcelona World Championships 2003, to being out of the water for 6 months with a career threatening shoulder injury in 2001.
Katy first appeared on the senior scene as a 15yr old with her first taste of what it was all about being the youngest member of the GB World Championship team in Perth, Australia in 1998. Early success at club championships, where the events she excelled in were all backstroke, gave Katy the desire and motivation to succeed at an even higher level. The ultimate level, being the Olympic Games.
At just 18 years of age Katy took part in the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, which was a great learning curve for her, and she finished 10th in the 100m backstroke
A gruelling daily schedule of early morning training(5.30-7.30am), school and training again for 2hours in the evening have made Katy the toughened competitor she is and able to keep her head in the game even when the pressures are at their worst.
Following Katy’s shoulder injury in 2001, during which all she could do for 6 months was leg work and kicking only in the pool (Katy couldn’t lift her arm above shoulder level due to nerve damage in muscles supporting the shoulder blade), she showed the sheer determination to succeed again when she scraped into the 2002 Commonwealth Games team.
The bronze she brought back from those games in the 200m backstroke meant a lot more to her than the gold she won 4years earlier in the same event in Kuala Lumpur.
Katy’s career highlight so far has been winning medals at the 2003 World Championships. At just 21 years old Katy won the gold and silver medals in the 200m and 100m backstroke respectively. She was awarded an MBE in the Queens New Year Honours list 2003, for her achievements in Barcelona.
She qualified to take part in the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and reached the final of the 200m backstroke.
Katy is now focusing on Beijing and has the determination and hope to represent Great Britain.
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