Midas touch of Becky Adlington, the sensible teenager from Mansfield

Midas touch of Becky Adlington, the sensible teenager from Mansfield

Mum was biting her nails. She waved her two little Union flags anxiously and then she was on her feet, shouting: "Go on Rebecca."


Midas touch of Becky Adlington, the sensible teenager from Mansfield
Living legend: Becky Adlington after collecting her second gold medal of the Beijing Games Photo: Getty Images

The girl couldn’t hear a thing. She was a knife in the water, carving up a world-class field and slicing two seconds off the longest-standing world record in swimming. Rebecca Adlington was double golden.

As she powered through the water the venue commentator clamoured: “You are watching history in the making.” For once it wasn’t the froth of poolside hyperbole. Adlington was about to go two seconds faster than little Janet Evans, Miss Perpetual Motion herself, the American who shocked the world 19 years ago in Tokyo. The girl from Mansfield was six months old at the time.

When she touched the wall Adlington looked round at the clock on the scoreboard, raised her right arm and shouted: “Come on.” Immediately pictures of her armpit were beamed all round the world. That’s fame for you. Adlington had just become the first British woman to win two golds at swimming and only the third British athlete since the war to win double gold at the same Olympics.

British team-mate Cassie Patten finished eighth and last, but she still found the strength at the end to duck under the lane ropes to give Adlington a hug. Patten said later: “If the Queen is watching, this girl should be made a dame, Dame Rebecca Adlington. Two Olympic golds is awesome. She’s my best mate so I’m allowed to say that.” Team-mate Mark Foster has been calling her Dame Rebecca all week.

When she arrived at these Games, Adlington wasn’t supposed to win a thing. But six days ago she shocked even herself when she took gold in the 400 metres, her weaker distance. Adlington then chattered on happily about being rewarded with a new designer pair of shoes. Fancy heels make Rebecca feel like Carrie from Sex and the City according to her mum, Kay.

Mum might have said that just swimming in that 400 metres final was like a walk-on part in Sex and the City. Seconds before the race got under way on Monday morning the favourite Federica Pellegrini turned her back on the Olympic champion of four years ago, Laure Manadou of France. Meanwhile Adlington adjusted her goggles.

It transpired that Pellegrini’s boyfriend is Manadou’s ex, the Italian swimmer Luca Marin. Only last year Manadou was fleeing France to be with Marin, “the love of my life”. A few weeks later she chucked his ring in the pool and he went off with rival Pellegrini. Blimey, you don’t get this sort of thing in Mansfield.

Or maybe you do. Mansfield’s other famous swimmer is Lord Byron. He took a paddle around the Hellespont 198 years ago before embarking on a life of flings. But Dame Becky’s idea of a night out is a few lengths at the local baths and a good movie. They’re not all like Lord B down Mansfield way.

Adlington’s boyfriend didn’t even fly out to Beijing because they are saving the money to go on holiday. Now that really is sensible for a 19-year-old. Adlington, who didn’t have a sponsor before these Olympics, should now have enough cash to jet to the moon and back.

She has earned it. She works so hard that she admits to sitting on the edge of the pool, too tired to drive home and praying for some superpower to transport her back to her bed. Yesterday she had the strength to beat the world.

After receiving her gold medal she tossed her winning bouquet up into the stands to her mum, who promptly announced: “I’m the proudest mother in Beijing. Although Michael Phelps’s mum must be pretty proud.” Swimming will do well to keep the same pride in Rebecca Adlington, not just now, not just in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics, but in 20, 30 years time. There is only one British swimmer who has won a race to compare with Adlington’s world-record swim in the 800m and he is now a peripheral figure.

When David Wilkie broke the world record by an astonishing three seconds in the 200m breaststroke in 1976 he was revered. With his Seventies moustache, centre parting and weird Miami accent, Wilkie was a natural. He even did a Bjorn Borg and walked out on his sport at his peak. But sadly, Wilkie is now almost ignored. Don’t let the same fate befall Adlington.

Her local swimming pool, The Sherwood Swimming Baths, is about to be renamed The Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre. She said: “It’s absolutely amazing. I can’t believe it.”

What’s more she sounded as if she really meant it. The girl’s pure gold.