Hannah Russell facts for kids
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| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 August 1996 Chertsey, England |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Woking SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Hannah Russell (born August 5, 1996) is an amazing British Paralympic swimmer. She competes in events for swimmers with visual impairments, known as S12 classification. In 2012, she became the British S12 champion in the 100m backstroke. She then qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London. There, she won a silver medal in the 400m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly.
At the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio, Hannah achieved even more success. She won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke. Her time of 1:06:06 set a new World Record! She also won gold in the 50m freestyle S12 and a bronze in the 100m freestyle S13. Hannah continued her winning streak at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, earning another gold in the 100m backstroke S12 and a bronze in the 100m freestyle S12.
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Hannah Russell's Swimming Journey
Hannah Russell was born in Ottershaw, Surrey, England. She has a visual impairment, which means she cannot see as well as most people. Hannah started swimming when she was five years old. She first joined the Woking Swimming Club. When she was twelve, she moved to Guildford City Swimming Club.
Hannah went to Gordon's School in West End, Surrey. Later, she switched to Kelly College in Tavistock. In 2010, she was discovered through a special program called 'Playground to Podium'. This program helps find young people with disabilities who have a talent for sports.
Early Competitions and Records
In 2011, Hannah was officially classified as an S12 swimmer. This meant she could compete in events for her specific visual impairment. She entered the 2011 IPC European Championships in Berlin. There, she won two medals: a silver in the 100m backstroke and a bronze in the 100m butterfly.
In 2012, Hannah competed in the British Championships. She won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke. She also took home a silver medal in the 400m freestyle. During this championship, Hannah broke the European record for the S12 class 100m backstroke. Her time was 1:09.52. Later that month, she broke two S12 world records. These were for the 400m freestyle and the 100m backstroke.
Making it to the London 2012 Paralympics
Even though Hannah was aiming for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, her amazing results helped her qualify early. She made the Great Britain swimming team for the 2012 Games in London. At just 16 years old, she was one of the youngest athletes on the team.
Hannah competed in five S12 events in London. These included the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, and 100m butterfly. In her very first event, the 400m freestyle, she swam her personal best time of 4:38.60. This earned her a silver medal, her first Paralympic medal! She finished very close behind Oxana Savchenko from Russia. Hannah then won her second medal, a bronze, in the 100m butterfly.
World and European Championships Success
In 2013, Hannah competed in her first IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal. She was part of the Great Britain team. She had a fantastic performance, winning five medals. She earned a bronze in the 400m freestyle. She also won three silver medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 100m butterfly. Most impressively, she became a world champion in the 100m backstroke.
The next year, in 2014, Hannah took part in the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships in Eindhoven. She continued her friendly rivalry with Russian swimmer Darya Stukalova. Hannah won six medals at these games. Five of them were silver medals. But in the 100m backstroke, she won a gold medal on her eighteenth birthday! After her birthday, she returned to Woking Swimming Club. She also joined City of Manchester Aquatics in May 2016.
Her last big international competition before the 2016 Paralympics was the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow. For S12 swimmers, there were fewer events at these championships. Hannah entered three events. She won a gold medal in the 50m freestyle. She also earned two silver medals in the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.
Taking a Break and Returning Strong
In 2019, Hannah took a break from swimming. During this time, she studied sports science at the University of Salford. Watching the 2019 Para-swimming World Championships inspired her to return to the pool.
Tokyo 2020 and Beyond
At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Hannah Russell showed her incredible talent again. She won the gold medal in the S12 Women's 100m Backstroke. She also earned a bronze medal in the S12 Women's 100m Freestyle. She also competed in the S13 Women's 50m Freestyle.
Hannah has been recognized for her amazing achievements. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017. Later, in 2022, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). These are special awards for her services to swimming.
In 2022, Hannah competed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She won her first Commonwealth Games medal there. She earned a silver medal in the Women’s 50m Freestyle S13 event.
See also
In Spanish: Hannah Russell para niños
