Her Spirit Podcast

Louise and Annie talk to former swimmer and coach to Adam Peaty and 8 Olympic medals Mel Marshall MBE. They talk about the road to the Tokyo Olympics and the journey to becoming a coach.

August 17, 2021 Her Spirit Season 3 Episode 24
Her Spirit Podcast
Louise and Annie talk to former swimmer and coach to Adam Peaty and 8 Olympic medals Mel Marshall MBE. They talk about the road to the Tokyo Olympics and the journey to becoming a coach.
Show Notes

In the twenty fourth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson  talk to former swimmer and coach to Adam Peaty and 8 Olympic medals.

Melanie Marshall’s extraordinary international career as a British swimmer started over two decades ago, at the 1995 European Youth Olympics in Bath, where she achieved four gold medals aged only 13. In 2000, her journey with us at Loughborough began when she came here to study Applied Sport Science, and has remained part of our fabric ever since.

Melanie’s list of sporting accolades is significant. She is a double Olympian, five-time Olympic finalist, and the second most decorated female at the Commonwealth Games – taking home no less than six medals at the 2006 Melbourne Games alone.

In 2004, she was ranked number one in the world when she broke the British 200m freestyle record, which cemented her place in the Olympic Games in Athens. She has over 20 international medals across the World, European and Commonwealth Games.

Melanie announced her retirement from swimming following the 2008 Beijing Olympics and started her world-leading career as an elite coach. She joined City of Derby Swimming Club as Head Coach, before joining us here in Loughborough as the National Centre Lead Coach for British Swimming, where her swimmers include a name you may recognise - Adam Peaty.

Melanie has coached Adam Peaty to unprecedented success; he holds two world records in both 50 and 100m breaststroke and is one of just three British swimmers to have won gold at all four major national events – the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games.

In 2015 and 2016 Mel was awarded the title of British Swimming Coach of the Year. Before turning her hand to coaching, Mel had a successful career as a swimmer herself which included winning six medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and Bronze at the World Short Course Championships in 2008. 

Mel was awarded an MBE for her services to swimming and charity in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021.

It is no surprise, then, that Melanie was named British Swim Coach of the Year three times in a row, and in 2014 she was named International Swim Coach of the Year.

In 2021 Mel had 3 athletes who won medals, Anna Hopkin who won Gold Mixed 4x100 IM relay ( World Record), Adam Peaty Gold 100 Breaststroke - Gold Mixed IM relay ( World Record) Silver 4x100IM relay and  Luke Greenbank Bronze 200BK - Silver 4x100IM relay

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