Mark Andrew Foster (born 12 May 1970) is an English former competitiveswimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and world championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. Foster is a former world champion and won multiple medals in international competition during his long career. He competed primarily inbutterfly andfreestyle at 50 metres.
Foster is a specialist short-course (25 metre pool) swimmer. In terms of medals and longevity (1986–2008), he is amongst the most successful British swimmers of all time. He was the fastest swimmer in the country by age 15. He made a comeback at the national championships in July 2007 winning both events he competed in after barely training.[1] He achieved the fifth best time in 2007 in the world at 50 metres freestyle[citation needed] and retired for the second time after the 2008 Olympics. He has sixWorld Championship titles, twoCommonwealth titles and eleven European titles to his name.[2]
Foster was born inBillericay,Essex, and was first taught by Ann Hardcastle, the mother ofSarah Hardcastle, at a pool inSouthend-on-Sea.[3] He was the fastest swimmer in the country by age 15.[4]
Foster was educated at Alleyn Court Preparatory School inWestcliff on Sea,Millfield School,Kelly College andSouthend High School for Boys where he excelled in athletics, football and tennis.[citation needed].
Foster dominated the short distances in the National Championships winning the50 metres freestyle title 14 times from 1986 until 2004[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and the50 metres butterfly title ten times from 1992 until 2002.[14][15][16][17]
First selected for the British team in 1985, Foster's breakthrough came in 1990 when he won his first individual international medal - bronze - in theCommonwealth Games inAuckland. He finished the 50 metres freestyle with a time of 23.16 seconds. He had previously won bronze as part of the 100 metre freestyle relay in theEdinburgh games four years previous, but cites the 1990 medal as his first great sporting moment.[1]
Success followed rapidly and in the next few years, Foster broke theWorld Short Course freestyle record four times, the World Short Course butterfly record twice, and set the World Long Course butterfly record (in 1996) with a time of 24.07 seconds.[18]
Foster trained atThe Race Club, a Florida swim camp founded by Olympic SwimmersGary Hall, Jr. and his father,Gary Hall, Sr. The Race Club, originally known as "The World Team," was designed to serve as a training group for elite swimmers across the world in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. To be able to train with the Race Club, one must either have been ranked in the top 20 in the world the past 3 calendar years or top 3 in their nation in the past year. The Race Club included such well known swimmers as Foster,Roland Mark Schoeman,Ryk Neethling, andTherese Alshammar.[19]
Despite success at Commonwealth, European and World championship level mostly at short courses,Olympic titles eluded him and he has never won a medal.
In 2004, Foster faced the disappointment of not being selected for theOlympic Games. At the British Olympic Trials, he won the 50 free in 22.49 seconds, well under the Olympic qualifying standard but seven hundredths of a second below the standard National Team DirectorBill Sweetenham had set for inclusion in the British Olympic Team. Foster has openly criticised Sweetenham's management style and Sweetenham ensured that he was not selected.[20]
Nonetheless, Foster responded to his omission from the Olympic squad with a gold medal in the World Short Course Championships inIndianapolis later that year. In the 50 metre freestyle, he achieved 21.58 seconds, ahead ofStefan Nystrand ofSweden. Although Foster announced his retirement from swimming after the European short course championships in April 2006 at the age of 35, he still occasionally competed that year at invitational meets.
Foster returned from "retirement" in 2007 with an aim to win an Olympic medal at the2008 Olympic Games. Returning to the British squad he won a silver medal in the 50 m freestyle at the2008 FINA Short Course World Championships, and qualified to represent Great Britain at the same distance in the Olympics. At the opening ceremony on 8 August, hecarried the flag for Great Britain during the Parade of Nations. He failed to qualify for the men's 50 m freestyle semi-finals, finishing almost two-tenths of a second outside the top 16.[21]
In May 2009, Foster became patron ofThe Anaphylaxis Campaign, the UK charity for people with severe allergies.[22] He won £10,000 for the campaign by participating inWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?, broadcast on ITV on 8 September 2009. In 1999, Foster's friend, Scottish athleteRoss Baillie died from anaphylaxis shortly after the pair had gone out for lunch.[23]
In October 2008, Foster was a celebrity judge for the Miele Fashion Prize, in aid of children's medical charity,Sparks.[24]
In June 2009, Foster supported ActionAid'sPoverTee Day by having a T-shirt painted on his torso.[25]
Foster is also an ambassador for the UK charity SportsAid, which supported him in the early days of his career, helping talented young sports people to achieve their ambitions.
In 2016, Foster became an Honorary Doctor of Health Sciences atAnglia Ruskin University.[26][27]
In the year 2000, he made a guest appearance on the first series ofTechno Games.
On 4 April 2008, Foster appeared on theITV showBeat the Star in which he won 18-3, appearing as the 'star'. On 20 May 2008, he appeared as a guest home owner on theBBC Two showThrough the Keyhole.[citation needed]
In the Summer of 2008, he appeared on the new series ofSuperstars onChannel 5.[citation needed]
In December 2008, Foster appeared on aStrictly Come Dancing special ofThe Weakest Link in December 2008, beatingAnton du Beke in the final round. He had previously appeared on an Olympic special, but did not win.
On 12 February 2009, Foster co-presentedBBC Look East's 6.30 pm bulletin, with Susie Fowler-Watt.
Foster was a contestant on the BBC One programmeLet's Dance for Sport Relief as a member of the dance group 'The Olympians'.
Foster regularly appears on BBC TV regional news and local radio in his role of Ambassador of Pools 4 Schools, a programme run by Total Swimming with theAmateur Swimming Association to increase participation in swimming amongst primary school children.
Foster appears in advertisements for Wellman nutritional products.
On 23 March 2012, Foster made a guest appearance onITV2'sCelebrity Juice.
On 27 July 2012, Foster appeared on a Paralympic special of theChannel 4 game showThe Million Pound Drop withCountdown presenterRachel Riley.
Foster often appears as an analyst for BBC Sport's coverage of Swim meets. This includes fourCommonwealth Games:Delhi 2010,Glasgow 2014,Gold Coast 2018 andBirmingham 2022, and fourSummer Olympic Games:London 2012,Rio 2016,Tokyo 2020 andParis 2024.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]
In November 2023, Foster participated in Series 7, Week 8 ofRichard Osman's House of Games.
Foster competed in thesixth series ofStrictly Come Dancing with professional dancerHayley Holt. He was voted off by the judges in the dance-off on week 6. He participated in theStrictly Come Dancing arena tour in 2012, dancing withNatalie Lowe.
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||||
| Horwood | Phillips | Goodman | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Waltz /Tennessee Waltz | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / Tanguera | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Bottom Two/Saved |
| 5 | Samba /Spice Up Your Life | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble /Since U Been Gone | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 | Bottom Two/Eliminated |
| Event | Time | Date | Meet | Location | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 21.96 | 21 Jun 2008 | Golden Bear | Zagreb, Croatia | [36] | |
| 100 m freestyle | 51.67 | 18 Aug 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| 50 m butterfly | 23.51 | 8 June 2003 | Golden Bear | Zagreb, Croatia | [37] |
| Event | Time | Date | Meet | Location | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle | 21.13 | NR | 28 Jan 2001 | World Cup | Paris, France | |
| 100 m freestyle | 49.65 | 2 Dec 1993 | World SC Championships | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | ||
| 50 m butterfly | 22:87 | NR | 17 Jan 2001 | World Cup | Sheffield, United Kingdom |
In 2002 Foster lived in Bath, UK, sharing a flat with former 110m hurdles Olympic silver medallist and World champion athleteColin Jackson.[38]
In November 2017, Fostercame out as gay.[39]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 50 metre freestyle world record holder (short course) 17 February 1993 – 13 March 1994 13 December 1998 - 23 March 2000 28 January 2001 - 25 March 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Olympic Games | ||
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Great Britain Beijing 2008 | Succeeded by |
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