Francesca Jean Halsall (born 12 April 1990) is a retired English competitiveswimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. She competed primarily infreestyle andbutterfly events.
Halsall was the youngest member of the Team England swim squad at the2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she won silver medals in the 4×100-metre freestyle and 4×100-metre medley relays.
She was a member of the European Aquatics Championships 4×100-metre medley relay team that took gold in August 2006 and successfully defended their title in August 2008 in Eindhoven. Halsall won five medals at the 2010 European Championships in Budapest, 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and a Bronze and was a member of the 4x100-metre medley relay team that successfully defended their title for a second time. In winning five medals, she became the most successful British swimmer ever at a single championships.
At the2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, Halsall won a gold medal, with a national record of 26.19 seconds, in the 50-metre butterfly, beating the favoured Australians. In the 100-metre freestyle Halsall was expected to win easily but a bout of illness (Delhi Belly) left her pale and weak and she had to be content with the bronze medal. Just 20 minutes later and despite being almost unable to stand up she returned for the 100-metre butterfly semi finals but failed to make the final. Later in the Games Halsall recovered enough to win 3 more silver medals in the women's 50-metre freestyle and as part of the 4x100-metre freestyle and 4x100-metre medley relay teams.
Halsall was born inSouthport and attendedSt Mary's College, Crosby.[1]
In July 2017, Halsall was made anHonorary Doctor of Science (HonDSc) byEdge Hill University.[2][3]
Halsall is married to rugby league starJon Wilkin.[4]
Halsall won four medals at 2008 World Short Course Championships inManchester, including 4×100 m freestyle bronze on her 18th birthday. She won thesilver medal in the 100 m freestyle behindMarleen Veldhuis of theNetherlands.
Halsall representedGreat Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the100 m butterfly,50 m freestyle,100 m freestyle,4×100 m freestyle,4×200 m freestyle and4×100 m medley
In the 100 m freestyle final, she placed 8th, at 54.29. She swam a British record of 53.81 which helped the British quartet set a new national record of 3:38.18 in the 4×100 m freestyle.
Halsall competed in 4 events at the 2009 world championships in Rome. She set a championship record for the 100m freestyle in the lead-off leg during the heats, and in the finals swam the lead leg, with Great Britain placing 7th. Halsall placed 5th in the 50m freestyle in a national record of 24.11. In the 100m, she out-touched Lisbeth Trickett of Australia to take silver in a national record of 52.87, with Germany's Britta Steffen winning in a new world record of 52.07. Halsall anchored the 4x100 metre medley relay to 5th place.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics inLondon, Halsall competed in five events.[5] Halsall reached the semi-finals of100m butterfly, posting a time of 58.52,[6] well off her season's best of 57.56 set in March.[7] Halsall made the finals of the100m freestyle and50m freestyle, finishing 6th and 5th respectively.[8] In the4×100 m freestyle relay Halsall swam the second leg in a split of 53.29, helping the British team to a 5th-place finish. In the final of the4×100 m medley relay the British team finished 8th, with Halsall providing an anchor leg of 54.08.
Having just missed out on a medal in the 50m butterfly by coming fourth, Halsall successfully gained bronze in the 50m freestyle posting a time of 24.30 seconds. This ended a disappointing drought of medals for Great Britain just one year after the London Olympics, though Halsall was the only swimmer to finish in a medal-winning position.[9]
At the2014 Commonwealth Games, Halsall won gold in the 50 m freestyle, setting three new Commonwealth Games records along the way.[10] She also won the 50 m butterfly in a Games record time.[10] In the relay events, she helped England to win silver in the 4 × 100 m freestyle and the 4 × 100 m medley.[10]
Halsall competed for Great Britain at the2016 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in the 50 metres freestyle and helping the GB team to finish 7th in the 4 × 100 m freestyle.[11]
| Event | Long course | Short course |
|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 23.96 (2014)NR | 23.44 (2009)NR |
| 100 m freestyle | 52.87 (2009)NR | 51.19 (2009)NR |
| 200 m freestyle | 1.59.13 (2008) | 1.53.79 (2010)NR |
| 50 m butterfly | 25.20 (2014)NR | 25.29 (2014)NR |
| 100 m butterfly | 57.40 (2010) | 55.71 (2009)NR |
| 100 m individual medley | 58.55 (2009) | |
| Record Key NR:British | ||
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