Cassie Patten facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1987 Cardinham, United Kingdom |
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| Height | 179 cm | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Stockport Metro | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Cassandra ("Cassie") Lily Patten was born on January 1, 1987, in Cardinham, Cornwall, United Kingdom. She is a British freestyle swimmer and coach. Cassie is famous for winning a bronze medal in the 10-kilometer open-water swimming event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Contents
Becoming a Swimmer
Early Swimming Days
Cassie started swimming lessons when she was five years old. Her first coach was Dave Darborne in Bodmin. She joined the Bodmin Swimming Club and stayed there for eight years.
When she was 13, Cassie went to her first national swimming championships. She placed 5th in the 200-meter butterfly race.
Training at Plymouth College
At 14, Cassie attended Plymouth College as a special swimming student. She really enjoyed her time there. She even became a senior prefect and the house captain for Chaytor's House. During this time, she trained with coaches Jon Rudd, Amanda Booth, and Jo Johns. They were part of the very successful Plymouth Leander Swimming program.
Moving to Stockport Metro
When Cassie was 19, she moved to the Stockport Metro Swimming Club near Manchester. Her new coach was Sean Kelly. He helped her change from being a butterfly swimmer to a long-distance freestyle swimmer. She would often swim 80 to 100 kilometers each week! That's like swimming the length of 80,000 to 100,000 Olympic-sized pools! Sean Kelly was her coach when she competed in the Beijing Olympics.
Cassie's Swimming Achievements
First Medals and Championships
Cassie was what you might call a "late bloomer" in swimming. She won her first national medal, a bronze, in 2003 when she was 16. This was for the 200-meter butterfly. In the same year, she represented Great Britain for the first time at the European Championships in Dublin.
Youth Success
The year 2004 was a big one for Cassie in her youth career. At the Youth National Championships, she won four gold medals! These were for the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, and the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle races. She also won two silver medals in the 200-meter freestyle and 400-meter individual medley. She even qualified for the World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis, where she finished 4th in the 800-meter freestyle.
British Championships and Olympics
At the British Championships in 2006, Cassie won a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver in the 800-meter freestyle. In 2007, she won a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver in the 200-meter butterfly.
The 2008 British Championships were also the trials for the Olympics. Cassie won a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle. This meant she qualified to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games!
Open Water Swimming
Cassie started her open water swimming career in 2006. She competed in several World and European Cup events. In her very first year of open water swimming, she was named the best female swimmer in Europe and won the LEN Cup.
In 2007, she won a silver medal in the 10-kilometer freestyle at the World Championships. She was only three seconds behind the gold medalist, Larisa Ilchenko.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Cassie represented Great Britain. She competed in the 800-meter freestyle and the 10-kilometer open water swimming event. It was in the open water event that she won her amazing bronze medal!
Cassie's international swimming career lasted for eight years. She competed in one Olympics, eight World Championship events, and ten European Championship events.
Life After Swimming
Coaching and Commentating
After retiring from competitive swimming, Cassie became a coach. She has traveled all over Europe, teaching swimming sessions. She has worked with many different companies, including SwimQuest, Speedo, Zoggs, Swim Smooth, and British Swimming.
Besides coaching, Cassie also has a growing career as a sports commentator. She was the main swimming expert for Sky Sports News during the London Olympic Games in 2012. She also commentated on the 10-kilometer open water marathons held in Hyde Park. Cassie writes a swim coaching column for Outdoor Swimmer magazine.
Personal Life
Cassie is married and has two children. She lives in Oxfordshire, England.
See also
In Spanish: Cassandra Patten para niños
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
