Nick Gillingham

Nick Gillingham
Personal information
Full name Nicholas Gillingham
Nickname(s) "Nick"
National team Great Britain
Born (1967-01-22) 22 January 1967
Walsall, England
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 72 kg (159 lb; 11.3 st)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Breaststroke
Club City of Birmingham SC

Nicholas Gillingham, MBE (born 22 January 1967) is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, FINA world championships and European championships, and England in the Commonwealth Games. Gillingham participated in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. In August 1989 in the European Championships, he equalled the existing world record in the long-course 200-metre breaststroke in a time of 2:12.90,[1] only to co-hold it for a single day before the other record co-holder, American Mike Barrowman, lowered the record again. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, he won the silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke in a Commonwealth record of 2:14.12,[2] followed by a bronze medal in the same event four years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in another Commonwealth record of 2:11.29.[3] Although better known as a 200m breaststroke swimmer, Gillingham was also a world class 100m swimmer and was ranked first in the world in 1992 with his Commonwealth record of 1:01.33 from the British Olympic trials. However, he sustained a leg injury during the Olympics which impaired his performance in the 100m final where he finished 7th, half a second slower than his heat time.[4]

Gillingham was born in Walsall and trained by Tim Jones. He also won the world title at the first inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in Palma de Mallorca. He broke three world, ten European, nine Commonwealth and seventeen British records during his career and won 17 major championships.

Gillingham was awarded the MBE in 1993 for 'services to swimming' and retired from full-time competitive sport in 1996. After retiring, he established a sports communications business focusing on sports marketing, development & events.

Recently, Gillingham took part in a scheme called Young Ambassadors, promoting youth sport development in the North East of England at Loughborough.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Men 200m Breaststroke 19th Swimming European Championships 1989 Bonn (FRG)". 18 December 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Men 200m Breaststroke Swimming Olympic Games 1988 Seoul (KOR)". 30 May 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "Men 200m Breaststroke Swimming Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona (ESP)". 30 May 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Men 100m Breaststroke Swimming Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona (ESP)". 30 May 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2018.


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