Siobhan Marie O'Connor is one of Great Britain's most successful swimmers with a tally of medals at every level of competition.
Siobhan grew up in Bath with her parents and younger brother. After relocating to Loughborough a couple of years ago she continues to visit her family and home city whenever she gets the chance. Siobhan has always had a passion for sport and has loved swimming since she was a young child. Despite living with the, at times, debilitating condition colitis. Siobhan has made history on more than one occasion.
Siobhan first burst on to the scene in 2011, winning 200m Individual Medley gold at the ASA National Championships to secure a place at the World Championships in Shanghai – the first of five successive Worlds appearances for her. In 2012 Siobhan was the youngest swimmer selected for the London 2012 Olympic team. In 2014, she won her first British titles in the 200m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley, and then went on to win six medals on her Commonwealth Games debut for England at Glasgow 2014, including gold in the 200m Individual Medley and silver in the 200m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics Siobhan narrowly missed out on the gold as she clinched a silver medal and set a new British record of 2:06.88 in the process of the 200m Individual Medley final. Siobhan successfully defended her 200m Individual Medley title for Team England at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, while also taking bronze medals in the Women’s 100m and 200m freestyle relays.
Aside from the thrill of competition, Siobhan says the biggest perk of competitive swimming is the travel opportunities it has opened up to her. She loves exploring new places, learning about different cultures and sampling the local cuisine. As a foodie, Siobhan is always keen to try out new restaurants and cook new dishes in her own kitchen. Siobhan is an avid bookworm and always has two books on the go – one fiction and one non-fiction to constantly challenge herself and learn. She enjoys watching almost every sport and loves getting to live games and matches when she has the chance. Siobhan is a passionate supporter of Arsenal FC and Bath Rugby and really enjoys F1. She is currently studying sports journalism and hopes to pursue a career in the sports media industry when she retires from competitive swimming.
Having been diagnosed with Colitis after London 2012, Siobhan plays an active role as an ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis UK. She speaks openly about her personal experiences and is committed to raising awareness of these commonly undetected diseases. As a Speedo ambassador Siobhan has supported community engagement events through coaching and public speaking as well as promoting product launches and featuring in product campaign materials. Siobhan is also a Nike ambassador promoting their product and brand stories across social media and participating in community events.
I want to get the best out of myself. You know that if you’ve done everything right, you can have no regrets – that’s what I try to do. I make sure I’ve done everything that I can.
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