Sharron Davies

Sharron Elizabeth Davies, (born 1 November 1962) is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships and competed for England in the Commonwealth Games.

Davies has attended 12 consecutive Olympic Games, competing in three games and then working in the media for the BBC Sport.

She competed in three Olympic Games over three decades, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

She also competed in the international community spanning over 20 years

Since retiring from the sport, she has worked for various media organisations and programmes.

In 1976, at age 13, Davies was selected to represent Great Britain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

The next year she won two bronze medals in the 1977 European Championships.

The following year, at age 15, she won gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the 200 and 400-metre individual medleys and also a silver and a bronze medal.

At the ASA National British Championships she won 22 titles – the 100 metres freestyle title in 1978, 200 metres freestyle title in 1977 and 1978, 400 metres freestyle title in 1977, 1978 and 1979, 800 metres freestyle title in 1978, 200 metres backstroke title in 1976, 1977 and 1978, 200 metres medley title in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1989 and 1992, 400 metres medley title in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 and the 50 metres butterfly title in 1992.

In the 1980 Olympics, Davies took the silver medal in the 400 m individual medley behind Petra Schneider from East Germany, who later admitted that the victory was drug enhanced.

At 18, Davies called time on the first stage of her swimming career to build her television profile and a career in modelling.

In the 1980s, Davies lived with and was engaged to Neil Adams an Olympic and World Championship medallist in judo.

Davies then married gym manager John Crisp in West Sussex in 1987.

In 1989, and training at Bracknell & Wokingham Swimming Club, she returned to the pool, where she picked up two more medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

Davies has broken or re broken many British records whilst competing and winning For medals table, see Medal record.

Davies held the Commonwealth Record for 400-metre individual medley for 18 years.

She has broken five World Masters records.

In the latest development in the story of the East German state-run doping programme, The Times broke the news in 2021 of a possibility that the bronze and silver medals won may be upgraded to gold.

They were divorced in 1991.

In 1992, she met athlete Derek Redmond at the Barcelona Olympics.

In the 1993 New Year Honours, Davies was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to swimming".

In 1994 they were married in Northampton, and had two children.

They divorced in 2000.

Davies's third marriage was to British Airways pilot Tony Kingston.

They were married in 2002 in Gloucestershire.

In 2005, Davies supported the British Olympic bid by profile-raising and appearing as spokesperson on BBC's Question Time where she made a strong case for bringing the games to London for 2012.

Davies is a current patron of the Disabled Sport England and SportsAid.

She was also the face of the Swim for Life charity event which raised total over £10m for many charities.

Davies was born in Plymouth, Devon, and grew up in Plymouth and Plymstock.

She has twin brothers.

She attended Plymstock Comprehensive School and the private school Kelly College, which is now known as Mount Kelly, in Tavistock.

She originally learnt to swim with Devonport Royal Swimming Association.

She moved to Port of Plymouth Swimming Association when she was eight and was coached for the first year first by Ray Bickley then by her father Terry Davies who became a coach.

Her father was never selected as an international coach because he spoke out about East German cheating.

He was added in 2021 to the Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

She set a record by swimming for the British national team at the age of 11.

In autumn 2006, she announced that she was three months pregnant after 8 rounds of IVF treatment, having been trying for a baby for four years and suffering two miscarriages.

During a Sport Relief event in Devon, she said: "We're very optimistic and happy but we're cautious, too, because of what we have been through. Giving birth at 44 doesn't worry me. So many women go through this as they leave it later to have babies."

Davies gave birth to her third child on 30 January 2007.

She split up with Kingston in 2009 after seven years of marriage.