Karen Pickering
{{Short description|British swimmer (born 1971)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name=Karen Pickering
MBE
| image=
| imagesize=
| caption =
| fullname = Karen Denise Pickering
| nicknames =
| nationality = British
| strokes = Freestyle
| club = Ipswich Swim Club
| collegeteam =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1971|12|19}}
| birth_place = Brighton and Hove, East Sussex
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{height|m=1.77}}
| weight =
|show-medals=yes
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships – Long Course}}
{{MedalGold | 2001 Fukuoka | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 2001 Fukuoka | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships – Short Course}}
{{MedalGold | 1993 Palma | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1999 Hong Kong | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 2000 Athens | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 1999 Hong Kong | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1993 Palma | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 2000 Athens | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | European Championships – Long Course}}
{{MedalBronze | 1993 Sheffield | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1993 Sheffield | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1993 Sheffield | 4×100 m medley}}
{{MedalBronze | 1995 Vienna | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1995 Vienna | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1995 Vienna | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1997 Seville | 4×100 m medley}}
{{MedalBronze | 1999 Istanbul | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1999 Istanbul | 4×100 m medley}}
{{MedalCompetition | European Championships – Short Course}}
{{MedalSilver | 2000 Valencia | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 2000 Valencia | 4×50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1998 Sheffield | 4×50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1999 Lisbon | 4×50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalGold | 1994 Victoria | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1994 Victoria | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 2002 Manchester | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 2002 Manchester | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 1990 Auckland | 4×100 m medley}}
{{MedalSilver | 1994 Victoria | 4×100 m medley}}
{{MedalSilver | 1994 Victoria | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 2002 Manchester | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1990 Auckland | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 1994 Victoria | 200 m freestyle}}
}}
Karen Denise Pickering, MBE (born 19 December 1971) is a former freestyle swimmer from Great Britain.
Swimming career
She made her international senior debut in 1986. She was first selected to represent her country at the European Junior Championships. Pickering competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992.
She won her first medal in 1993, at the inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, where she won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle. With that performance Pickering became Britain's first swimming world champion.{{Cite web |title=Westlake beats the champion |publisher=BBC Sport |date=1 November 2004 |access-date=3 December 2018 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3965687.stm}}
She was a member of the British swimming squad from 1986 to 2005 and has a collection that includes 8 World Championship medals (4 gold), 14 European Championship medals, 38 National Championship titles, and a Commonwealth Games medal haul of 13 including 4 gold. The 2002 Commonwealth Games saw Karen win three medals, two gold and one silver, in front of her home crowd, a career highlight which was crowned with the honour of carrying the English flag at the closing ceremony.
She is a two times winner of the British Championship in the 50 metres freestyle (1992 and 1993), seven times winner of the 100 metres freestyle (1989-1993, 1997, 2000), nine times winner of the 200 metres freestyle (1990, 1992–1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002–2003) and was the 400 metres freestyle champion in 1992, 2002 and 2003.{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503321304/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=524a0249|title="For the Record." Times, 13 June 1992, p. 43|newspaper=The Times |date=13 June 1992 |page=43 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0501985917/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=b6c9da1f|title="For the Record." Times, 12 June 1993, p. 39|newspaper=The Times |date=12 June 1993 |page=39 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500553136/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=6b11d9e1|title=Downes, Steven. "Parker's display shows he can be a masked marvel." Times, 14 July 1989, p. 47|newspaper=The Times |date=14 July 1989 |page=47 |publisher=Times Digital Archive|last1=Downes |first1=Steven }}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0501870955/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=1e85620d|title="Results from Leeds." Times, 5 Aug. 1991, p. 30|newspaper=The Times |date=5 August 1991 |page=30 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503321880/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=454e31ee|title="Results from Sheffield." Times, 15 June 1992, p. 28|newspaper=The Times |date=15 June 1992 |page=28 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0501986472/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=b2cf8254|title="For the Record." Times, 14 June 1993, p. 24|newspaper=The Times |date=14 June 1993 |page=24 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500311584/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=98cfd3e0|title="For the Record." Times, 28 July 1990, p. 31|newspaper=The Times |date=28 July 1990 |page=31 |publisher=Times Digital Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0502061797/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=66663780|title="For the Record." Times, 1 Aug. 1994, p. 23|newspaper=The Times|date=August 1994 |page=23 }}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503410498/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=9ea517a9|title="For the Record." Times, 21 July 1995, p. 38|newspaper=The Times|date=21 July 1995 |page=38 }}{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500849050/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=17db8d2d|title="For the Record." Times, 18 July 1997, p. 42|newspaper=The Times|date=18 July 1997 |page=42 }}
Honours
For her services to swimming Karen was awarded an MBE in the 1994 New Years Honours List.
Pickering is {{as of|2008|alt=now}} the Sports Ambassador for Ipswich in Suffolk,{{Cite web |title=Karen set to pitch in |work=Ipswich Star |date=27 November 2008 |access-date=3 December 2018 |url= https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/karen-set-to-pitch-in-1-168263}} and chaired the British Athletes Commission between 2004 and 2016.{{Cite web |title=Interim Chair of the BAC Announced |first=Sara |last=Heath |publisher=The British Athletes Commission |date=4 July 2016 |access-date=3 December 2018 |url=https://www.britishathletes.org/interim-chair-of-the-bac-announced |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404120656/https://www.britishathletes.org/interim-chair-of-the-bac-announced |url-status=dead }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.karenpickering.co.uk/}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 200m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 200m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Karen}}
Category:English female freestyle swimmers
Category:Sportspeople from Brighton
Category:Sportspeople from Ipswich
Category:Olympic swimmers for Great Britain
Category:Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Category:Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in swimming
Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in swimming
Category:Swimmers at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Category:Swimmers at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Category:Swimmers at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Category:Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Category:British female freestyle swimmers
Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Category:Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
Category:European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Category:Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games