Karen Pickering

Karen Pickering

Personal information
Full name	Karen Denise Pickering
Nationality	British
Born	(1971-12-19) 19 December 1971 Brighton and Hove, East Sussex
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Freestyle
Club	Ipswich Swim Club
Medal record World Championships - Long Course Gold 2001 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2001 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle World Championships - Short Course Gold 1993 Palma 200 m freestyle Gold 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2000 Athens 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1999 Hong Kong 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 1993 Palma 100 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Athens 4×100 m freestyle European Championships - Long Course Bronze 1993 Sheffield 200 m freestyle Bronze 1993 Sheffield 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 1993 Sheffield 4×100 m medley Bronze 1995 Vienna 100 m freestyle Bronze 1995 Vienna 200 m freestyle Bronze 1995 Vienna 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1997 Seville 4×100 m medley Bronze 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m medley European Championships - Short Course Silver 2000 Valencia 200 m freestyle Silver 2000 Valencia 4×50 m freestyle Bronze 1998 Sheffield 4×50 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Lisbon 4×50 m freestyle Competitor for  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1994 Victoria 100 m freestyle Gold 1994 Victoria 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester 200 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1990 Auckland 4×100 m medley Silver 1994 Victoria 4×100 m medley Silver 1994 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2002 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1990 Auckland 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1994 Victoria 200 m freestyle

Karen Denise Pickering MBE (born 19 December 1971 in Brighton) is a former freestyle swimmer from Great Britain, who 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.

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.

For her services to swimming Karen was awarded an MBE in the 1994 New Years Honours List.

Pickering is now the Sports Ambassador for Ipswich in Suffolk and chairs the British Athletes Commission.

External links

• Official website
• Ipswich footballer races Karen - BBC