London 2012 Olympics: Rebecca Adlington ‘overawed’ by crowd’s support

Published on 30/07/2012 10:18

SWIMMER Rebecca Adlington was “overawed” by support from the crowd as she won a bronze medal in last night’s 400m freestyle, her parents revealed.

And the 23-year-old’s boyfriend, Harry Needs, needed calming down after an emotional reaction to her performance, Steve and Kay Adlington revealed.

“When we saw her boyfriend, he was crying his eyes out. He swims as well with Becky so he knows what she’s been going through but he was so emotional himself,” Mrs Adlington said.

The couple were at the pool along with Adlington’s sisters Chloe and Laura to watch her try to defend her title.

The race was won by Frenchwoman Camille Muffat in a new Olympic record of four minutes 01.45 seconds, with American Allison Schmitt second.

Mrs Adlington said she finally spoke to her daughter at around 10.30pm last night,

“’You’re a superstar’ is what I said to her, because she is to me. That’s how I see her, to me, as my daughter.

“Just dealing with everything she deals with, expectation and pressure, this time round it’s huge.”

Father Steve said he nearly cried, but would save that for when he saw his daughter.

“Actually she wouldn’t let me get a word in edgeways. She said, ‘I bet you were crying, Dad’. She calls me a cry-baby, I get very emotional.

“I didn’t actually last night. I will do when I see her and I hug her, it will be that point that I’ll get emotional.”

The couple said Adlington was moved by the support from the crowd.

Mrs Adlington, who said the atmosphere in the aquatics centre was “amazing” - “hairs on the back of your neck time” - said: “I think you could see on poolside how happy she was with that bronze medal.

“There wasn’t any sign of any disappointment, and the crowd... she said when we spoke to her that she was completely overawed by the reaction from the crowd.”