Q&A Interview Hannah Wilson, Former Olympic Swimmer Being an Elite Athlete at a Young Age

Hannah Wilson was just 15 when she competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens before going on to compete at the 2008 games in Beijing and retiring from competitive swimming after the London Olympics in 2012. Still only 27, she talks to Am I Normal about the realities and pressures of becoming an elite athlete at such a young age.

How old where you when you realised you had the ability and desire to take your swimming to the next level?

I was about 14 when I really committed to swimming and gave up some other leisurely sports. At that point I added swim training sessions and was probably swimming about 7-8 times per week. The Olympics was never seriously on the radar but that all changed in 2004.

How did you juggle training and schooling?

By the time I was 16 I was training 9 times a week so I learned to manage my time efficiently and always make sure my homework was a priority before I did anything else. Some days were definitely tough as I had training before school as well as after, so staying awake was sometimes a challenge!

Did you have any time for a social life?

I did my best to have a balance, and luckily I’m still best friends with my school friends, so I suppose I did something right!

You swam in your first Olympic games in Athens as a teenager at the age of 15 - were you nervous? How did you build up your self-confidence and conquer the fear?

Athens was terrifying! I was extremely nervous, as it was the first time I was performing in front of such a big crowd. I had to keep reminding myself that it was just another 100m and that I had done so many before and tried to drown out the crowd.

Four years later, you headed to Beijing, how was the experience different?

Beijing was massively different. I grew up so much in those 4 years and as I had been in university for a year and a lot of my university friends were also competing so it was great to have a support group of friends over there.

What would you say to young people who have dreams of excelling in sports at a professional level?

It sounds so cliché but don’t give up on something you have a passion for, as you just never know where it could take you.

One might say that you didn’t exactly have a normal childhood, what does normal mean to you? And if you could go back would you have opted for something more traditionally normal?

Normal to me meant being able to go to all my friends birthday parties, go to all of the sleepovers etc. Looking back, I wouldn’t want normal as I’ve got that life now and managed to accomplish great things.

What was your trick to deal with anxiety and stress - especially before a big competition?

Talk to friends, laugh, and tell weird stories just to take my mind off the pressure I put on myself.

What was it like representing your hometown Hong Kong, on the international stage?

It was amazing; it is a period of my life that I am extremely proud and grateful.

What is your most memorable moment from London?

London was by far my favourite Olympics. Not only was it in a place, which felt quite close to home with friends and family, but also the energy and atmosphere surrounding the games was unreal. Although my performances were my worst out of the three, I’ve put that behind me.

What has life been after your professional swimming career? Do you miss it?

I miss swimming at times, but I am now a PE teacher, which I absolutely love and I try to share my experiences with the students I teach.

What do you think about the Paralympic games - what they represent and the importance they have in normalising disability in the field of sports and society in general?

I think the Paralympic Games are awesome; I was glued to them in London and can’t wait to watch more from Rio this year. I think what those athletes are capable of doing is so inspiring and I have so much respect for them.

- Channel 4 is the UK's official Paralympic sports broadcaster -