Chorley swimming star Anna Hopkin targets Olympic success after golds galore at European Championships

The 25-year-old earned her place after a strong showing at the European Aquatics Championships held in Budapest.

She picked up a superb bronze medal in the individual 50m freestyle event but it was in the relays where she really came to the fore winning a remarkable four gold medals .

Hopkin swam the second leg to help the women come home first in the 4x100m freestyle and then anchored the team to victory in the mixed 4x100m medley.

She then swam the third leg as Team GB finished out in front in the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay and then capped a memorable few days by anchoring the women’s 4x100m medley to success in what was the last event of the championships.

Hopkin has been an integral member of Team GB’s swimming squad for a number of years. Nicknamed the ‘pocket rocket’, she claimed her debut national title in the 50m Freestyle at the 2017 British Championships, going one better than her silver medal finish the previous year.

She has since won the national 50m gold again, in 2019.

In 2018, she was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay quartet which earned bronze for Team England at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast as well as making the final in both of her individual events.

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted her training programme over the past 12 months, Hopkin has managed to maintain her form and currently trains at the National Centre, in

Chorley.

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