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Fran Halsall

Francesca Halsall
Fran Halsall medal.jpg
Halsall with 100 m freestyle silver medal at 2009 world championships
Personal information
Full name Francesca Jean Halsall
Nickname(s) "Fran"
National team  Great Britain
Born (1990-04-12) 12 April 1990 (age 27)
Southport, England
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight 59 kg (130 lb)
Website FrancescaHalsall.com
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle, butterfly
Club Loughborough University
Coach James Gibson

Francesca Jean "Fran" Halsall (born 12 April 1990) is an English competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. She competes primarily in freestyle and butterfly events.

Halsall was the youngest member of the Team England swim squad at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she won silver medals in the 4×100-metre freestyle and 4×100-metre medley relays.

She was a member of the European Aquatics Championships 4×100-metre medley relay team that took gold in August 2006 and successfully defended their title in August 2008 in Eindhoven. Halsall won five medals at the 2010 European Championships in Budapest, 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and a Bronze and was a member of the 4x100-metre medley relay team that successfully defended their title for a second time. In winning five medals, she became the most successful British swimmer ever at a single championships.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, Halsall won a gold medal, with a national record of 26.19 seconds, in the 50-metre butterfly, beating the favoured Australians. In the 100-metre freestyle Halsall was expected to win easily but a bout of illness (Delhi Belly) left her pale and weak and she had to be content with the bronze medal. Just 20 minutes later and despite being almost unable to stand up she returned for the 100-metre butterfly semi finals but failed to make the final. Later in the Games Halsall recovered enough to win 3 more silver medals in the women's 50-metre freestyle and as part of the 4x100-metre freestyle and 4x100-metre medley relay teams.

Halsall was born in Southport and attended St Mary's College, Crosby.

Halsall won four medals at 2008 World Short Course Championships in Manchester, including 4×100 m freestyle bronze on her 18th birthday. She won the silver medal in the 100 m freestyle behind Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands.

Halsall represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 100 m butterfly, 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle, 4×200 m freestyle and 4×100 m medley


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