Catrin Davies
Represented Wales and Great Britain in World and Commonwealth freestyle swimming competitions.
- Born:
-
13
SEP
1979
- Place of Birth:
- Aberystwyth
- School:
- Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig
- Biography:
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Catrin Davies was born in Aberystwyth and was an avid swimmer from a young age, becoming captain of the town's Swimming Club.
A fluent Welsh-speaker, she attended Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig school in Aberystwyth before going on to study law at Nottingham University. Alongside her law studies, Catrin continued with her swimming, joining the Nova Centurion club at Nottingham. It was during this time that her swimming training schedule was at its most intense - but even so, she graduated with a First Class Honours degree in law.
In her first year at University, and just three months before the competition, Catrin qualified for her first Commonwealth Games and joined the swimming team representing Wales in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in 1998. She picked up a bronze medal in the 2001 World University Games in Beijing, China. Later that year, she won gold in the 50m freestyle at the British Long Course Championships in Coventry and set a new Welsh record.
Catrin's gold medal in Coventry secured a place for her in her second Commonwealth Games, at Manchester in 2002. She was chosen to captain the Welsh swimming team and although she didn't pick up an individual medal, she did reach the final of the 50m freestyle. Catrin was also a member of the Wales team who set a new Welsh record in the final of the 4 x 100m medley and freestyle relays as well as the 4 x 200m freestyle relay team who also reached the final.
As she noted at that time, her aim for the Games was to "use my experience to support the Welsh Team which is largely made up of exciting young talent who need to be encouraged to take full advantage of these Games to gain experience which will enhance their future careers."
But the Games was also the venue for Catrin's announcement that the event would mark the last time she swam for Wales. She had decided to retire from international swimming to pursue a career as a lawyer.
She now works for a Cardiff-based law firm but can look back with pride at her swimming career when she held all six of the Welsh women's freestyle records - the 50m, 100m and 200m at both long-course and short-course championships.
- Moment of Glory:
- Captaining the Welsh Swimming Team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
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