| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kathleen Mary Dawson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1997-10-03)3 October 1997 (age 28) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Warrington Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Stirling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Bradley Hay, Steven Tigg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kathleen Mary Dawson (born 3 October 1997) is a Scottishbackstrokeswimmer. She won gold at the2020 Tokyo Olympics inmixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay in a world record time. She is also theEuropean champion at the2020 Budapest Championships and holder of theEuropean record in 100 m backstroke (58.08).
Dawson has represented Scotland at theCommonwealth Games since 2014. She represented Great Britain at the2016 European Aquatics Championships, and won a bronze medal in100 metre backstroke.[2] She also won a gold in the4 × 100 metre medley relay.[3]
In May 2021, at theEuropean championships held inBudapest, Dawson won gold in the100 metres backstroke. As a result of a technical error, she had to swim twice in the final, but won on both occasions.[4] She also won gold in4x100m medley andmixed medley relay, and silver in50 m backstroke at the same Championships.[5]
Dawson was named a member of the British team to go to the postponed2020 Olympics in April 2021. This would be her first Olympics where she would join more experienced Olympians likeAimee Willmott andMolly Renshaw.[6]
At the Tokyo Olympics, Dawson raced in the backstroke lead-off leg of the final of themixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay, winning gold and setting a world record time of 3 minutes 37.58 seconds together withAdam Peaty,James Guy andAnna Hopkin.[7]
Dawson was announced as an Observatory for Sport in Scotland ambassador, where she helps spotlight the benefits of community sport for all ages and abilities, and she finished 2021 being voted 'Sportswoman of the Year' at the Scottish Women in Sport Awards, held in Glasgow in November, where she pipped fellow nominees Katie Archibald and Laura Muir to the coveted title.
Dawson was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2022 New Year Honours for services to swimming and women in sport.[8][9]
After winning the100 metres backstroke at the2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Dawson sealed her place at the2024 Summer Olympics.[10] At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she participated in thewomen's 100 metre backstroke competition, where she was eliminated in the heats.
