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Laura STEPHENS
Sport Swimming
NOC Great Britain   
GenderWomen
Born02 Jun 1999 in London, ENG
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
 Plymouth Leander: England
Further Personal Information
Higher education
 Architecture, Engineering - University of Plymouth: England
General Interest
Hobbies
 Writing, reading, architecture, sports, chocolate. (schpeckle.com, 29 Aug 2020)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
 "I follow a timed routine on race days, from the moment I wake up to when I step on the blocks. I know what I'm going to do, I've rehearsed it thousands of times to the point where I barely think about it now." (schpeckle.com, 01 Sep 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement
 Being selected to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (swimming.org, 12 Jul 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
 She was encouraged to take up swimming by her mother. "Swimming from 06:00 to 07:30 five days a week was suddenly added to my list of extra-curricular activities. I can remember my excitement the first few weeks of training. Getting up in the dark before school was special and also meant fresh pancakes in the car. However, after a month or two and the lack of sleep, arriving at school with wet hair, and smelling of chlorine started to outweigh the pancakes. Regardless, here I am 10 years later, and I still have several alarms set before 05:00."
General Interest
Most influential person in career
 Coach Michelle Young, and her family. (swimming.org, 12 Jul 2021, 14 Jun 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
 Robin Armayan [club]
Training Regime
 She trains in the pool for five hours over two sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and also does a one-hour session in the gym. On Wednesdays and Saturdays she trains for two-and-a-half hours in the pool, and Sundays are a rest day.
When and where did you begin this sport?
 At age 11 she joined Harwich Swimming Club in England.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
 Athlete
Languages
 English
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
 "'You can only control what goes on in your lane'. I really like this tip. It means you don't need to worry about what anyone else is doing, you can't control them. But you do have complete control over your lane, your race, and your performance. So focus on those controllables rather than the uncontrollables." (schpeckle.com, 30 Jun 2020)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
10 2021 Tokyo, JPN 200m Butterfly 2:09.49
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
1 2024 Doha, QAT 200m Butterfly 2:07.35
7 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 200m Butterfly 2:07.27
Heats 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
Semifinal 2022 Budapest, HUN 200m Butterfly 2:08.47
Semifinal 2022 Budapest, HUN 100m Butterfly 58.71
Heats 2022 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay  DSQ
8 2019 Gwangju, KOR 200m Butterfly 2:09.35
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 200m Butterfly 2:08.94
18 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 100m Butterfly 59.19 
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2022 Rome, ITA 50m Butterfly  DNS
4 2022 Rome, ITA 200m Butterfly 2:08.47
  2022 Rome, ITA 100m Butterfly DNS
6 2021 Budapest, HUN 200m Butterfly 2:09.42
Heats 2021 Budapest, HUN 50m Butterfly 26.92
Semifinal 2021 Budapest, HUN 100m Butterfly 58.45
1 2021 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:54.01
Heats 2016 London, ENG 200m Butterfly  DNS
Semifinal 2016 London, ENG 100m Butterfly 58.84
Heats 2016 London, ENG 50m Butterfly 27.37
1 2016 London, ENG 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
European Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2023 Otopeni, ROU 200m Butterfly 2:07.17
Semifinal 2023 Otopeni, ROU 100m Butterfly 57.93
3 2023 Otopeni, ROU 4 x 50m Medley Relay  
Heats 2019 Glasgow, SCO 50m Butterfly 26.84
4 2019 Glasgow, SCO 200m Butterfly 2:06.05
Heats 2019 Glasgow, SCO 100m Butterfly 58.86