Chris Walker-Hebborn

Chris Walker-Hebborn

Personal information
Full name	Christopher James Walker-Hebborn
Nickname(s)	"Chris"
National team	Great Britain
Born	(1990-07-01) 1 July 1990 Enfield, London
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke
Club	University of Bath
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley World Championships (LC) 2015 Kazan 4×100 m mixed medley 2017 Budapest 4x100 m medley World Championships (SC) 2014 Doha 4×50 m mixed medley European Championships 2014 Berlin 100 m backstroke 2014 Berlin 4×100 m medley 2014 Berlin 4×100 m mixed medley 2016 London 4×100 m medley 2016 London 4×100 m mixed medley 2014 Berlin 50 m backstroke European Championships (SC) 2013 Herning 100 m backstroke 2015 Netanya 50 m backstroke 2015 Netanya 100 m backstroke Representing  England Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 100 m backstroke 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m medley 2010 Delhi 4×100 m medley 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle

Christopher James Walker-Hebborn (born 1 July 1990) is an English swimmer who competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[1] A successful youth and junior athlete, Walker-Hebborn achieved a breakout year in 2014, winning two Commonwealth Games titles and three European Championship titles, including the Commonwealth Games and European Championships 100-metre backstroke gold medals.

A key member of the England and Great Britain medley relay teams, he formed part of the world record breaking, world title winning Great Britain mixed medley team at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. He also won gold medals as part of the England men's medley relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and both men's and mixed medlay relay teams at the 2014 European Aquatics Championships, again with Great Britain. In 2016 he was part of the Great Britain team to retain both the men's and mixed medley relay titles, his fourth and fifth European golds. At the 2016 Rio olympics he won a silver medal as part of the men's 4 × 100 m medley relay.

Early career

He is currently based at the University of Bath, where he trains at one of British Swimming's Intensive Training Centres. As a teenager he spent two years at the British Offshore Centre in Australia at The Southport School, from 2006 to 2008.

In March 2009, he qualified for his first senior World Championships after beating event favourite James Goddard in the 200 m backstroke at the British Championships, held in Sheffield.^[2]

Walker-Hebborn's preliminary heat performance in Rome secured him a place in the semifinals where, as one of the few swimmers not wearing the controversial full body suit. This is when he set a new British record to become a finalist. The record was to stand only briefly, as he broke it again in the finals (1:56.05), placing 9th.

He was offered a scholarship at Florida State University in January 2009 but returned to his Bury St. Edmunds home after just a few weeks due to lack of long course training.

Chris Walker-Hebborn with the gold-winning team in 4 × 100 m mixed medley at the 2015 Kazan World Championship

Competition results

References

External links

• Official Chris Walker-Hebborn website
• British Swimming athlete profile