Quote she believes in “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one”

Anna Hopkin MBE is a British swimmer. She won gold as part of the British team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mixed 4 × 100 meter medley relay, setting a new world record time.

She was born at Chorley, Lancashire, England. She attended Withnell Fold Primary School and St Michael’s C of E High School, and completed her A Levels at Runshaw College in 2014. She graduated from the University of Bath in 2018 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science.

Hopkin competed for England in the women’s 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal.

In May 2021, at the European Championships held in Budapest, Hopkin won gold medals in women’s 4 × 100 meter freestyle, women’s 4 × 100 meter medley, mixed 4 × 100 meter freestyle and mixed 4 × 100 meter medley relays.

Hopkin was named as a member of the British team to go to the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This would be her first Olympics and she joined as part of what was considered a “high quality” swimming team. Hopkin swam the anchor freestyle leg in the Mixed 4 x 100 meter medley relay, and won gold in a new world record time of 3 minutes 37.58 seconds together with Adam Peaty, James Guy and Kathleen Dawson.

In 2023, she won the gold medal at the 2023 British Swimming Championships in the 50 meters freestyle. It was the third consecutive time that she had won the 50 meters event. After winning both the 50 meters freestyle and the 100 meters freestyle at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Hopkin sealed her place at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Hopkin was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to swimming.

Women’s swimming Representing Great Britain

Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m mixed medley

World Championships (LC)
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Doha 4×100 m mixed medley

World Championships (SC)
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Melbourne 50 m freestyle

European Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m mixed medley
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rome 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Rome 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Budapest 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Rome 4×100 m mixed medley

European Championships (SC)
Silver medal – second place 2019 Glasgow 4×50 m mixed freestyle
Representing England Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m medley

Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Anna Hopkin an exceptionally talented British swimmer, Olympic Gold medalist and World Record Holder; here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, and her success story.

Namita Nayyar:

You were born in Chorley, Lancashire, England. You graduated from the University of Bath in 2018 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. You competed for England in the women’s 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal. Later in the sport of swimming you propelled your career to the height where you have been at the top of the world as the leading British competitive swimmer and won Gold medal at 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?

Anna Hopkin:

I have always been incredibly sporty and competitive from a young age so hard work and striving to reach goals has always been part of my DNA, it just took me a while to really find my place within the sport. I swam when I was younger within the Lancashire squad and had a lot of potential and although I did have success nationally at a young age there were a lot of points where I really didn’t enjoy the sport. I put this down to the intensity of training required and sacrifices I had to make at a very young age when I still wanted to explore lots of other sports I enjoyed. I wasn’t ready to just commit to swimming at that point.

I actually left the competitive side of sport at 13 for almost 5 years and never thought I would race again, instead I took up all the sports I’d had to give up when I was younger plus others! I did running, trampolining, gymnastics, cheerleading and a little bit of swimming for fitness. It was actually when I started at Bath at 18 that I decided I wanted to be part of the sport again, mainly for fun and fitness and to be part of the relays. Little did I know I’d catch the swimming bug again and absolutely fall in love with the training, competing and desire to keep getting better. From that point on I was committed to continuing to train more, work harder, try new things in training and keep improving my times.

I gradually climbed up the rankings and my goals and dreams within the sport got bigger. Commonwealth Games 2018 was a turning point for me, competing in front of packed crowds, standing on the podium with teammates and feeling the satisfaction of those achievements drove me on to want even more from myself. I then went to America for 2 years to train, targeting the 2020 Olympics, willing to commit my life to the pursuit of that goal. I dedicated my training, mindset, nutrition and recovery to being the best it could be and came back to the UK in 2020 believing this was possible.

Despite the Olympics being postponed a year to 2021 I continued this dedication into my training at my new base in Loughborough and worked with my new coach Mel and my coach Neil in America to ensure I had the best chance of making the team in 2021. It was an absolute dream come true to make that team and only boosted my belief in myself going into the Olympic Games – never did I think an Olympic Gold Medal was on the cards though! The Olympic Games in Tokyo was one of the most seamless competitions I have experienced, every athlete dreams of a competition where every time they race they get better and better and everything flows, I feel so lucky to have experienced this in Tokyo. I broke the British record in the 100 freestyle, made an Olympic final individually and of course became Olympic champion and world record holder with the team in the 4×100 mixed medley relay.

The journey beyond 2021 was more challenging with the pressures and expectations of being Olympic champion weighing on my shoulders. It was harder to gain satisfaction from my achievements because how can you replicate standing on top of an Olympic podium? I was definitely very hard on myself and struggled to love the sport as I had done previously, people do talk about Olympic blues and I think I experienced this. I worked hard on myself and with a my sports psychologist and coach to bring back the spark I had lost and there are many moments I am very proud of to have come through times of doubt and uncertainty and continue to battle on and never give up.

Full Interview is Continued on Next Page

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