Family wins swimming tips from Olympic star
Swimmer Becky Adlington (right) with Finn and Eve White, from Harborough.
A family of keen swimmers from Harborough got some personal tuition from Olympic gold medal winner Becky Adlington after winning a lucky draw.
Mum Sonia White, from Ashley Way, entered an online competition run by British Gas to win a swimming lesson with the star, and said she was shocked when she discovered she had won.
Sonia and husband Steven took their two older children, Finn (7) and Eve (5) to Mansfield on Friday to meet Becky and get some tuition and swimming tips from the star.
Mrs White said: “Finn and Eve are good swimmers anyway, and Becky was really good with them.
“She gave myself and Steven some tips as well.
“Becky was really approachable and friendly. I didn’t know what to expect before I met here but she was very down to earth and normal.”
Mrs White said the unexpected lesson was a huge bonus to her as she is a member of the Welland Valley Triathlon Club, which meets at the Corby International Pool on Wednesday evenings.
She added: “Becky talked to us about being in the Olympics and a bit about her swimming history.
“The children had prepared a few questions for her and she answered all of them. She was very confident and you could tell how passionate she was about swimming.
“It was a really good day and it was a brilliant experience for the children as well to meet someone like Becky.”
As well as winning the swimming lesson with Becky, Mrs White also scooped an iPad, a water-proof camera and an underwater MP3 player in the competition.
She said: “It was brilliant to win them all at the same time – I’ve never won anything before!”
Mrs White and her husband have another child, 20-month-old Ellen.
Becky Adlington represented Team GB at the Olympic games in Beijing, where she won two gold medals, and in London, where she won two bronzes.
Earlier this month she announced she was to retire from all forms of competitive swimming, at the age of 23.
She was honoured in her home town of Mansfield in 2010 when the former Sherwood Swimming Baths was renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre after a refurbishment.
Rebecca Adlington is a British Gas ambassador.
This spring British Gas is launching Swim Britain, a campaign to create a healthier nation and get more people swimming regularly by 2015.
Visit the website www. facebook.com/BGSwimming for more details.
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Weather for Market Harborough
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
