Fran Halsall out to put Olympic heartache behind her

Seeking redemption in the Glasgow pool.

Fran Halsall is looking for redemption in Glasgow after her home Olympics ended in bitter disappointment.

The Southport-born swimmer was rated number two in the world going into her home games but finished fifth and sixth in the 50m and 100m and barely held herself together in front of the cameras afterwards.

“It took me a while to come to terms with happened in London and I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over it,” she says.

“It was my dream from when it was announced that London had won the right to host the Games to be on that podium.

“I tried to hold myself together for the cameras, but when I went through the mixed zone afterwards my friend was waiting for me and I just went to pieces on her. I went back to my room and cried my eyes out.

“I didn’t go to the parade or garden party afterwards. I thought I didn’t deserve to be part of it and it would have been too painful.

“It seems harsh but I’d gone into the Olympics ranked second in the world and I was still second when it finished, but I didn’t have a medal so I didn’t do the job I’d gone there to do.

“The margins are so slim. I missed a medal by 18 one-hundredths of a second and yet I was still telling myself I was an awful swimmer.

“Straight after the Games I went on holiday to California with my boyfriend (hockey player Alastair Wilson) to forget all about it.

“But he’d had the Olympic rings tattooed on his stomach and the people round the pool were saying: ‘Oh my God you went to the Olympics.’ They found out I was a swimmer but all they wanted to know was if I met Michael Phelps!

“Afterwards I had to re-assess what I love about swimming but it never crossed my mind to quit.

“I had three months off until my jeans didn’t fit me, changed my training, got a new coach and started moving forward again. Last summer I got a medal at the World Championships and that showed me I’m still a good swimmer.”

The Commonwealth Games launched Fran’s career as a 16-year-old in Melbourne in 2006 and she already has seven medals in the cabinet.

“Melbourne is to this day one of my best experiences I’ve ever had,” she says. “I came away with two relay silvers and was very proud to take them back to school, where I was doing my GCSEs, to show them off.

“India was a different experience. I won Gold in my first event, then got sick, literally with Delhi Belly.

“In the end I did a pretty good job to pick up four more medals considering the doctor had me drinking nothing but flat Coke for the rest of the competition.

“I hope to get back on the podium this time but in my events the standards are very high. There’s a great rivalry between the British swimmers but I have a lion tattooed on my foot and I’m really proud to be English.”