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Chris WALKER-HEBBORN
Sport Swimming
NOC Great Britain   
GenderMen
Born01 Jul 1990
Height1.84 m
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Bath, ENG
General Interest
Hero / Idol
US boxer Muhammad Ali. (swimming.org, 25 Oct 2013)
Awards and honours
He was named the 2009 Suffolk Sports Personality of the Year in England. (ipswichstar.co.uk, 20 Oct 2009)

He was named the 2008 Young Athlete of the Year at the Splash Awards in Great Britain. (fireball.co.uk, 2011)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began swimming at age three while on holiday in Florida, United States of America.
International Debut
Year
2009
Competing for
Great Britain
Tournament
World Championships
Location
Rome, ITA
General Interest
Nicknames
Poppet (bbc.co.uk, 24 Jun 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Winners never quit, quitters never win." (swimming.org, 25 Oct 2013)
Other information
RETIRMENT
He retired from competitive sport in September 2018. "I have achieved more in swimming than I could have ever dreamed of when I was a young kid starting out. Lots of people told me I'd never be able to do it and if there's one piece of advice that I can pass on to young swimmers or kids with a dream, it's to never stop believing in yourself." (bbc.co.uk, 05 Sep 2018)

TRAINING IN AUSTRALIA
Although he started swimming competitively while living in Cambridge, England, he began making real progress in his swimming career when he moved to Australia at age 16. "It didn't really pick up until 2007, I was offered a scholarship to study and train on the Gold Coast for two-and-a-half years. I mean being told that you have to move half way across the world without your parents and essentially start a new life was pretty tough." (London Evening Standard YouTube channel, 28 Jul 2016)

MEDAL DEDICATION
He dedicated the silver medal he won in the 4x100m medley relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to his father Andy, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. "This one's for my dad and it's pretty special. It's been a tough few weeks. This was always going to be my best opportunity and these boys swam out of their skin and I left everything in the pool." (eadt.co.uk, 15 Aug 2016)

TATTOOS
He has a number of tattoos, including one across his chest that reads 'per aquam ad calorimeter' ['through water to glory' in Latin]. (swimvortex.com, 14 Apr 2015)
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Fitness and Exercise Management - University of Bath: England
Languages
English
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"According to my dad, I couldn't wait to get my armbands off in the pool and it went from there really. I played football for a bit as a kid, but once I really got into swimming I didn't have time for football training."
General Interest
Injuries
A viral infection meant he missed the 100m backstroke at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Despite his illness and being on a course of antibiotics he was able to compete in the 4x100m medley relay later in the competition, helping the team to silver. (ipswichstar.co.uk, 31 Jul 2017)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Semifinal 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 100m Backstroke 53.75
2 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
22 2012 London, ENG 200m Backstroke 1:59.00
20 2012 London, ENG 100m Backstroke 54.78
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:28.95
5 2015 Kazan, RUS 100m Backstroke 53.02
4 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:30.67
1 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:41.71
Semifinal 2013 Barcelona, ESP 200m Backstroke 1:58.16
Semifinal 2013 Barcelona, ESP 100m Backstroke 53.96
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:35.23
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 200m Backstroke 1:58.59
Heats 2011 Shanghai, CHN 100m Backstroke 54.91
Semifinal 2009 Rome, ITA 200m Backstroke 1:56.05
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Semifinal 2014 Doha, QAT 100m Backstroke 50.76
7 2014 Doha, QAT 50m Backstroke 23.33
5 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:32.30
5 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:22.78
2 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:37.46
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 200m Backstroke 1:55.68
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 100m Backstroke 52.11
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:32.64
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:16.77
7 2012 Istanbul, TUR 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay 7:05.73
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Semifinal 2016 London, ENG 100m Backstroke 54.77
Semifinal 2016 London, ENG 50m Backstroke 25.36
1 2016 London, ENG 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:32.15
1 2016 London, ENG 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:44.56
3 2014 Berlin, GER 50m Backstroke 25.00
1 2014 Berlin, GER 100m Backstroke 53.32
1 2014 Berlin, GER 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:44.02
1 2014 Berlin, GER 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:31.73
European Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2015 Netanya, ISR 50m Backstroke 23.09
3 2015 Netanya, ISR 100m Backstroke 50.35
6 2013 Herning, DEN 50m Backstroke 23.59
2 2013 Herning, DEN 100m Backstroke 50.44
4 2013 Herning, DEN 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:39.81
30 2011 Szczecin, POL 50m Backstroke 25.09
28 2011 Szczecin, POL 200m Backstroke 1:58.70
23 2011 Szczecin, POL 100m Backstroke 53.19
7 2011 Szczecin, POL 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 1:28.28
5 2011 Szczecin, POL 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:35.07
World Cup Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
64 2014   Overall  
6 2014 Singapore, SGP 100m Backstroke 51.81
3 2014 Singapore, SGP 50m Backstroke 23.43
5 2014 Tokyo, JPN 50m Backstroke 23.83