Fran Halsall: i may get an Olympic rings tattoo if I win gold in Rio - The Guardian

Fran Halsall in the girls's 50m freestyle ultimate on the 2014 Commonwealth games. She goes into the Olympics having won three golds at the European championships in London. graphic: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Yeah, it's quantity three. The third roll of the cube," Fran Halsall says, a customary burst of laughter erupting from the swimmer as she counts off her trio of Olympic games, stretching from Beijing in 2008 to London 4 years later to Rio simply over two months from now. Three could be her lucky quantity for, after an Olympic debut as a naive teenager and her disappointment at London 2012 where she didn't win any of the 5 medals she turned into chasing, Halsall appears assured she will strike gold in the 50m freestyle this summer.

"I determined not to swim the 100m as smartly," the 26-year-ancient says as she explains why she has jettisoned her wildly bold method at London 2012. "If I did each I may do them neatly. but if I focus on simply the one I might do in fact, in fact neatly. So it was a question of being greedy or inserting all my eggs within the 50m basket, the place I'm superior. I've determined to position all my work into that and goal for gold. If I did the 100m first it may jeopardise gold within the 50m. My goal is to win a gold medal at the Olympics, so I should give myself the most desirable possibility to do that."

Three is, once again, the operative quantity as a result of this month the versatile Halsall received a hat-trick of gold medals on the European championships in London, together with victory within the 50m backstroke, and a bronze within the 50m butterfly. nevertheless it is extra important that, as she elements out in her concentrated method to Rio, "I've swum the third quickest time on the planet this year in the 50m free".

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Halsall, in her cozy approach, lists her leading competitors devoid of sounding scared of any of them. "Of route we've obtained the Campbell sisters [Cate and Bronte] from Australia who I raced towards on the Commonwealth games, and there's Ranomi Kromowidjojo, the defending Olympic champion [in the 50m and 100m]. Sarah Sjöström [the Swedish sprinter who also won three gold medals at the European championships] as neatly. but I've obtained my race process written down. Even 50m can get damaged up into a hundred bits, funnily sufficient, so i know exactly what I need to do in every section. If I hit my aims, I'm going to be very aggressive in Rio."

It helps that Halsall defeated the Campbell sisters when winning 2014 Commonwealth gold in a searing 50m sprint in Glasgow. "That gives me self belief. The incontrovertible fact that I swam my highest quality time within the greatest competition of the year within the middle lane towards some stiff competitors suggests i can do it when it in reality concerns. It was the fastest ever 50m closing outside of the tremendous fits [the hi-tech suits made from plastic derivatives which were banned in 2010]. in order that gives me belief. If I get my education right, I've acquired pretty much as good an opportunity as any person in Rio."

Halsall is a breeze to interview at the launch of arena's Powerskin Carbon‑extremely swimming gear at the London Aquatics Centre. She is open and humorous and extremely chatty. Yet, despite her appeal, it often seems as if residual doubts don't seem to be brushed away quite simply by means of Halsall. She endured a everyday blip at the British trials ultimate month when she readily received the 50m freestyle but her time of 24.forty eight became 0.09sec outdoor the Rio qualification normal.

Halsall regarded devastated as she climbed out of the Glasgow pool and lamented: "It's simply no longer respectable enough." Her region in the Olympic squad couldn't be guaranteed and it seems peculiar that a real contender in Rio might have allowed this condition to emerge.

"What i wanted more than anything become a consistent block of training and i was so proud I'd performed that earlier than the trials." Halsall says. "I had swum basically fast at a meet in Marseille. I went 24.2 – inserting me third in the world this 12 months. however I put too a whole lot power on myself in Glasgow. i used to be considering: 'I should still be able to get the time but what occurs if I don't? There's now not a whole lot competition so it's me against myself. It's like a practising swim.' All here's happening in my head and it's average of me when i am swimming outside a tremendous competition. I don't have these issues at the Europeans or Olympics."

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As soon as her hand touched the wall in Glasgow did she bet she became in challenge? "Yeah. I knew as a result of I had a ropey birth. i was a tenth of a 2nd slower off the blocks than I may still had been and for a sprinter that's large. but my time would have viewed me come fourth at the world championships final year so it wasn't that bad. i was just irritated as a result of I'd already swum faster this season. i thought: 'For God's sake, what's up with me?'"

was she given any comfort from the selectors that they'd prefer her anyway for Rio? Halsall shakes her head. "however my train [James Gibson] noted: 'There's leeway for any one who swims inside 2% of the qualifying time … and also you've carried out that.' i used to be like: 'good enough, phew, I should be going.' however because the week went on i thought: 'What if they don't pick me?' So once I rang my folks on the Thursday, after the squad changed into announced, I bought all emotional."

Halsall breaks into an amusingly hysterical voice: 'Oh my God, I'm going to the Olympics …'"

How did she hear the news? "We had been instructed an e mail could be despatched on the Thursday morning, before it grew to be public. I didn't get it for a long time – because it went into my junk. I didn't even know it had arrived. normal!"

Halsall hoots with laughter once more earlier than she explains her new calm. "From final September to the pains my buzzword changed into consistency because the year earlier than i was injured a great deal. i used to be, like, 'appropriate, I don't want to fall ill or injured.' And the physio pointed out to me: 'Fran, in the eight years I've familiar you this is the least I've viewed you these previous few months. What's going on?' I observed: 'sure!'

"I simply want to stand on the blocks in Rio and say: 'If someone beats me, or if I win, i do know there's nothing extra I might have accomplished.' event is a large thing in sprinting and i've bought a lot more desirable within the ultimate 4 years. i do know how to race a whole lot superior now.

"I'm fortunate I'm in an event where it's extra about first-rate‑tuning and making sure your body is fresh and you've acquired all your quickly-twitch muscle groups firing – as opposed to slogging up and down for eighty,000 metres per week. That's why sprinters have so a lot more longevity."

Fran Halsall together with her bronze medal after coming third in the 50m butterfly on the European championships in London this month. image: Clive Rose/Getty photographs

That event has helped her. "My head might tell me: 'Oh, you suppose crap since you didn't sleep smartly ultimate nighttime. What are you going to do?' however i know now to tell myself to chill out because I've performed the work. i can additionally say: 'There've been lots of times the place you've felt worse than this and you've swum smartly.' I've been working on my mind as a result of my motivation in practicing used to dip and i'd say: 'this is boring.' Now I feel: 'correct, I've just bought to get it achieved. I might no longer love it nowadays but if I do it neatly it's going to help my culmination.' I've been working with wealthy [the sports psychologist Richard Hampson], who was once with Andy Murray and the canoeists and now he's with British Swimming. I see him almost a week. When he asks, 'What do you desire out of this 12 months?', I say: 'I need to appreciate it and achieve my dream of successful an Olympic medal.' We b e sure I'm ticking alongside in opposition t these dreams."

Halsall become earmarked as one of the advantage domestic stars of London 2012 but she turned into consumed by way of expectation and too many races. Her path to Rio could be extra low-key. "It's an eight-day meet and that i'm swimming on days seven and eight. i will be able to fly in later, chill out and never get caught up in every little thing originally of the week. i'll arrive about 4 days earlier than I swim – and optimistically i can conclude it off nicely for the team with a gold."

earlier than her third Olympics, Halsall has become extra reflective. "The decent years at all times go sooner, don't they? the ones which are just a little of a fight drag more. however I actually have a lot of reminiscences and respectable experiences. i will be able to put the others in a box and bury them deeper. The main component is I nonetheless savor swimming now as a great deal as I when i was 17. I'm doing a job that i like. I see the area, go for a swim, have a nap, stroll my dog. It's no longer a bad way of life."

Halsall has also been staring at much more rugby league over the past 18 months – which is the size of time she has been going out with Jon Wilkin, the St Helens captain. "I met Jon at activities character of the 12 months in 2014 and we obtained chatting and it turns out that one in all my top notch-grandmas became on the board of administrators at St Helens. So it's slightly bizarre.

"i'm from Southport so I may still be a supporter of St Helens. however I've been living in Loughborough for eight years so I've turn into a Leicester Tigers fan. My brother all the time told me: 'No, Fran, rugby league is plenty superior – be sure you actually watch it.' So I'm going to as many video games as i can and i'm getting it now. I just hate seeing the hits. Jon bought knocked out the different week but my mum took it worse. She rang me, crying: 'Oh, he's no longer going to get up, here's awful!' i used to be like: 'Mum, chill out, it's his job. He's simply received to get on with it.'"

The Halsall giggle explodes once again – because it does when she explains that Wilkin hopes to look her swim in Rio. "however he's acquired to ask Keiron Cunningham [the Saints coach] if he can come out for the weekend. I don't know no matter if he might be allowed." She expects there can be different alternatives for Wilkin to see her swim within the Olympics. "After Rio the plan is I'm going to flow back up north and move in with Jon. I'll instruct up there and if my body can nonetheless do it there's no explanation why I shouldn't go to Tokyo in 2020. it would be high-quality to do 4 Olympics. what number of did Mark Foster do? 5? I need to get on a par with him. Let's now not forget Dara Torres was 40 when she received a medal in 2008 …"

Halsall has a British lion tattooed on her foot and has lengthy deliberate on including the Olympic rings in inky tribute on her dermis. "I'm going to do it," she promises with a latest throaty giggle, "but handiest if I win that Olympic medal. it will be good to make it gold before I get that tattoo."