Rebecca Adlington: want my daughter to get into sport

Adlington with her medal at the ceremony for the 2012 Olympics

Double Olympic Champion Rebecca Adlington, who recently became a mother, has said she would like her daughter to follow in her footsteps and be a sportswoman as well. She is Great Britain’s most decorated Olympic athlete, jointly with rowing champion Katherine Grainger, winning two golds at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Adlington also won two medals, both bronze, at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In her successful bid for gold at the 2008 Olympics, Adlington also set a world record for freestyle.

Adlington, whose daughter was born on the 8^th of June, has said she has already bought her a swimming costume. Her husband Harry Needs is also a swimmer, and Adlington describes her life as being ‘great’, saying she has met the most ‘wonderful people’, and that she would ".. love for her to go into the world of sport because I do think sport gives you so much more than medals and everything else."

The 24-year-old retired last year, and when questioned replied that she felt it was “time for the new generation to come through”. She has since founded a programme that encourages and trains the youth to swim. She is also a mentor to current swimmers, and will do so for the British swimming team due to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.