 |
|
| Abbie
WOOD |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
Great Britain
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 02 Mar 1999
in Buxton, ENG |
| Height | 1.66 m |
|
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|
|
|
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Loughborough, ENG |
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
National Centre Loughborough: England |
Why this sport? |
"My sister used to swim at Buxton and I just used to sit and watch. I was like 'I'm not getting involved, I don't want to do it'. One day my mum said, 'You're just sitting around so why not give it a go'." |
Name of coach |
Dave Hemmings [club] |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
At age four she joined Buxton Swimming Club in England. |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Criminology - Loughborough University: England |
General Interest |
Awards and honours |
In 2020 she was named Breakthrough Swimmer of the Year by swimming website Pullbuoy in its Swimmers of the Year awards. (pullbuoy.co.uk, 31 Dec 2020) |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Enjoy what you are doing and don't put too much pressure on yourself, especially when racing. The more relaxed you are, the faster you can swim." (simplyswim.com, 16 Mar 2018) |
Other information |
TOKYO REFLECTIONS
After a best result of fourth place in the 200m individual medley at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, she left Japan feeling disappointed. "Initially, when I first got back from the Games, after coming fourth in that final, it did really hurt. I wasn't in a great place, I didn't really want to talk about the Olympics. I thought there was something wrong with that, but I spoke to people who'd been to an Olympics before and they said it was really normal. It's something you've had plastered in your head for the past five years on this occasion, so when it's done, you just want a break from talking about it. I had the most amazing time, but coming fourth was hard and it's something you can't really explain. But the further time goes on, I do realise it was my first Olympics, to even get to finals at my first Games, I'm proud of myself for doing that. I've realised I should be proud of myself and I should give myself some credit, because if you'd told me this time last year that I'd be in three Olympic finals, competing for a medal, I wouldn't have believed it." (britishswimming.org, 25 Oct 2021)
FINDING HER FEET
After winning a number of medals at junior international level, she initially struggled with the step up to senior competition. Following a 20th-place finish in the 400m individual medley at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, she considered quitting the sport. "Going to a worlds at the age of 18 should have felt like a great achievement, but it didn't. I went PB plus 10 [seconds] in the 400 medley and I think it was a real shock to the system. I was close to quitting. Why would I want to carry on with something that made me this upset and this embarrassed? I feel like I had everything I wanted as a junior and then when I went to the seniors the 400 medley started to get harder. I'd feel like I had the best of what I had as a junior and then when I hit senior I was like a little fish in a big pond and it really overwhelmed me. I just lost my confidence that it wasn't as glitz and glam as it was in the junior scene. Now [speaking in 2020] I feel like I am starting to find my feet in the senior scene a bit more." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 10 Nov 2020; eurosport.co.uk, 03 May 2021; Instagram profile, 24 May 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 28 May 2021)
ABBIE WOOD ACADEMY
In 2019 her first club, Buxton Swimming Club in England, launched the Abbie Wood Academy. She has been involved in coaching young swimmers at the academy. (buxtonswimmingclub.co.uk, 22 Aug 2019) |
Injuries |
She withdrew from the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, after contracting mononucleosis. (swimswam.com, 15 Dec 2021) |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 4 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
200m Individual Medley |
2:09.15 |
| 7 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
200m Breaststroke |
2:23.72 |
| 5 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:33.96 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 6 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
200m Individual Medley |
2:11.20 |
| 2 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:50.90 |
| Heats |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
200m Freestyle |
1:58.39 |
| 4 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:46.63 |
| 4 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:33.90 |
| 8 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
200m Breaststroke |
2:26.19 |
| 12 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
200m Individual Medley |
2:11.31 |
| 5 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:35.43 |
| Heats |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
400m Individual Medley |
4:47.30 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 8 |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
200m Breaststroke |
2:21.48 |
| Heats |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
400m Individual Medley |
4:34.45 |
| 6 |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
200m Individual Medley |
2:07.28 |
| 6 |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
1:37.11 |
| 7 |
2022 |
Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:33.47 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
400m Individual Medley |
4:34.78 |
| 16 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
400m Freestyle |
4:07.29 |
European Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
200m Individual Medley |
2:10.03 |
| 5 |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
200m Breaststroke |
2:22.78 |
| 1 |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:26.67 |
| 1 |
2021 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:34.17 |
| 10 |
2018 |
Glasgow, SCO |
400m Individual Medley |
4:43.80 |
| Heats |
2018 |
Glasgow, SCO |
200m Individual Medley |
2:13.65 |
| Heats |
2016 |
London, ENG |
400m Individual Medley |
4:48.01 |
| Heats |
2016 |
London, ENG |
200m Individual Medley |
2:18.06 |
| Heats |
2016 |
London, ENG |
800m Freestyle |
8:47.04 |
European Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2023 |
Otopeni, ROU |
400m Individual Medley |
4:27.45 |
| Heats |
2023 |
Otopeni, ROU |
400m Freestyle |
4:09.02 |
| Semifinal |
2023 |
Otopeni, ROU |
200m Breaststroke |
2:21.81 |
| 1 |
2023 |
Otopeni, ROU |
200m Individual Medley |
2:05.58 |
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 3 |
2022 |
Berlin, GER |
200m Breaststroke |
2:21.27 |
| 3 |
2022 |
Berlin, GER |
200m Individual Medley |
2:07.63 |
| 2 |
2022 |
Berlin, GER |
400m Individual Medley |
4:31.60 |
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