Wikipedia

Karen Pickering

Karen Denise Pickering, MBE (born 19 December 1971) is a former freestyle swimmer from Great Britain.

Karen Pickering
MBE
Personal information
Full nameKaren Denise Pickering
NationalityBritish
Born (1971-12-19) 19 December 1971 (age 52)
Brighton and Hove, East Sussex
Height1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubIpswich Swim Club
Medal record
World Championships – Long Course
Gold medal – first place 2001 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2001 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle
World Championships – Short Course
Gold medal – first place 1993 Palma 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2000 Athens 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Hong Kong 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Palma 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
European Championships – Long Course
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Sheffield 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Sheffield 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Sheffield 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Vienna 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Vienna 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Vienna 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Seville 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m medley
European Championships – Short Course
Silver medal – second place 2000 Valencia 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2000 Valencia 4×50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Sheffield 4×50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Lisbon 4×50 m freestyle
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1990 Auckland 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Auckland 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Victoria 200 m freestyle

Swimming career

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She made her international senior debut in 1986. She was first selected to represent her country at the European Junior Championships. Pickering competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992.

She won her first medal in 1993, at the inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, where she won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle. With that performance Pickering became Britain's first swimming world champion.[1]

She was a member of the British swimming squad from 1986 to 2005 and has a collection that includes 8 World Championship medals (4 gold), 14 European Championship medals, 38 National Championship titles, and a Commonwealth Games medal haul of 13 including 4 gold. The 2002 Commonwealth Games saw Karen win three medals, two gold and one silver, in front of her home crowd, a career highlight which was crowned with the honour of carrying the English flag at the closing ceremony.

She is a two times winner of the British Championship in the 50 metres freestyle (1992 and 1993), seven times winner of the 100 metres freestyle (1989-1993, 1997, 2000), nine times winner of the 200 metres freestyle (1990, 1992–1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002–2003) and was the 400 metres freestyle champion in 1992, 2002 and 2003.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Honours

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For her services to swimming Karen was awarded an MBE in the 1994 New Years Honours List.[1]

Pickering is now the Sports Ambassador for Ipswich in Suffolk,[12] and chaired the British Athletes Commission between 2004 and 2016.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Westlake beats the champion". BBC Sport. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 13 June 1992, p. 43". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 13 June 1992. p. 43.
  3. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 12 June 1993, p. 39". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 12 June 1993. p. 39.
  4. ^ Downes, Steven (14 July 1989). "Downes, Steven. "Parker's display shows he can be a masked marvel." Times, 14 July 1989, p. 47". The Times. Times Digital Archive. p. 47.
  5. ^ ""Results from Leeds." Times, 5 Aug. 1991, p. 30". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 5 August 1991. p. 30.
  6. ^ ""Results from Sheffield." Times, 15 June 1992, p. 28". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 15 June 1992. p. 28.
  7. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 14 June 1993, p. 24". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 14 June 1993. p. 24.
  8. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 28 July 1990, p. 31". The Times. Times Digital Archive. 28 July 1990. p. 31.
  9. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 1 Aug. 1994, p. 23". The Times. August 1994. p. 23.
  10. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 21 July 1995, p. 38". The Times. 21 July 1995. p. 38.
  11. ^ ""For the Record." Times, 18 July 1997, p. 42". The Times. 18 July 1997. p. 42.
  12. ^ "Karen set to pitch in". Ipswich Star. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  13. ^ Heath, Sara (4 July 2016). "Interim Chair of the BAC Announced". The British Athletes Commission. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
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