Hannah Wilson
Encyclopedia
Hannah Wilson is a Hong Kong
amateur swimmer. She is a two-time Olympic swimmer
for Hong Kong, having swam at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens and the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in the Water Cube in Beijing. She has won two career Universiade
gold medals. As of July 11, 2009, Wilson currently holds 10 Hong Kong records and two Universiade records in swimming.
However she struggled but eventually received the International Olympic Committee
's permission to race in the 2004 Summer Olympics as she then was holding a British passport which was a cause for distress throughout Hong Kong. She has since renounced her British citizenship to take up a Hong Kong SAR passport and citizenship in her pursuit to represent Hong Kong in swimming for at least the next decade.
At the 2006 Asian Games
, she was a member of the bronze medal-winning team in the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay.
She is currently a student in her sophomore
year at the University of California, Berkeley
after attending Peak School
from 1994 to 2000 and Island School
from 2000 to 2007. She was recommended to attend the University of California, Berkeley by her 2006 Asian Games
bronze medal-winning teammate Tsai Hiu Wai, who was the former swimming captain of the California Golden Bears
. Her college teammates include 2008 Summer Olympic Games 100 m backstroke gold medalist Natalie Coughlin
and 4×100 m freestyle relay silver medalist Emily Silver
. The California Golden Bears are coached by Teri McKeever, the United States assistant coach at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
• Undeclared major
• Swam a lifetime best 52.85 in the in 100 fly at the 2008 NCAA Championships final to earn All-America honors.
• Was on the NCAA runner-up 200 free relay quartet (1:27.52, a new school record) at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
• Was the third leg of a foursome that set a Cal dual meet record with a 1:32.22 in the 200 free relay (first place finish) at UCLA (2/2/08).
• Was on the foursome that set a new Pac-10 meet record 3:13.22 in the 400 free relay at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships.
• Also on the quartet that established a new Cal dual meet record in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:16.54 at the Stanford dual meet (2/16/08).
• Clocked personal bests in the 100 free (48.84) and the 50 free (22.57) at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships.
• Her personal marks in the 50 free (22.57) and 100 free (48.84) rank sixth and eighth respectively on Cal's all-time performance charts.
100 free 48.84 (2008 Pac-10s)
200 free 1:48.37 (2/16/08 at Stanford)
100 fly 52.85 (2008 NCAAs)
200 fly 1:59.78 (2007 Hoosierland)
in Belgrade
, Serbia
. She won the 100 metres women’s freestyle in 54.35 seconds breaking 2008 Summer Olympic Games Britta Steffen
's Universiade
record by 0.01 seconds. The next day after her 100m freestyle success, she won her 100m butterfly semi-final in 58.52 seconds to break 2004 Summer Olympic Games 200m butterfly gold medalist Otylia Jędrzejczak
's Universiade
record. A day later she won her second gold medal in the 100 metres women's butterfly in a record time of 58.24 seconds to smash her own record by 0.28 seconds. In the 50m freestyle qualifier she broke the Hong Kong record with a time of 25.99 seconds. In the semi-finals she swam a new Hong Kong record of 25.63 pushing forward the old record time by 0.37 seconds. However she misses out on the finals after finishing 11th in the semi-finals. She becomes the first HK athlete to win a medal – and a gold at the World University Games.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
amateur swimmer. She is a two-time Olympic swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
for Hong Kong, having swam at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens and the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in the Water Cube in Beijing. She has won two career Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
gold medals. As of July 11, 2009, Wilson currently holds 10 Hong Kong records and two Universiade records in swimming.
However she struggled but eventually received the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
's permission to race in the 2004 Summer Olympics as she then was holding a British passport which was a cause for distress throughout Hong Kong. She has since renounced her British citizenship to take up a Hong Kong SAR passport and citizenship in her pursuit to represent Hong Kong in swimming for at least the next decade.
At the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
, she was a member of the bronze medal-winning team in the women's 4×100 m freestyle relay.
She is currently a student in her sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
after attending Peak School
Peak School
Peak School is a school on Plunketts road in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The school opened in 1994, and teaches students from Year One to Year Six....
from 1994 to 2000 and Island School
Island School
Island School is a co-educational non-profit international school in Hong Kong. The campus is situated in the Mid-Levels district of Hong Kong on 20 Borrett Road...
from 2000 to 2007. She was recommended to attend the University of California, Berkeley by her 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
bronze medal-winning teammate Tsai Hiu Wai, who was the former swimming captain of the California Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
. Her college teammates include 2008 Summer Olympic Games 100 m backstroke gold medalist Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
and 4×100 m freestyle relay silver medalist Emily Silver
Emily Silver
Emily Silver is a retired American swimmer. She was part of the silver medal winning team of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics, after she swam in the heats.-Career:...
. The California Golden Bears are coached by Teri McKeever, the United States assistant coach at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
Academics
• A-Level Subjects: Physical Education, Geography, Psychology, (Biology AS)• Undeclared major
Why she chose Cal
"I chose California because the team was amazing, and felt that I would fit in. I thought Teri would be an amazing coach for me and I thought it was the only place where I could get better at swimming and achieve academic success."Cal Success
• 2008 All-American (100-yard fly; 200-yard free relay; 400-yard free relay)• Swam a lifetime best 52.85 in the in 100 fly at the 2008 NCAA Championships final to earn All-America honors.
• Was on the NCAA runner-up 200 free relay quartet (1:27.52, a new school record) at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
• Was the third leg of a foursome that set a Cal dual meet record with a 1:32.22 in the 200 free relay (first place finish) at UCLA (2/2/08).
• Was on the foursome that set a new Pac-10 meet record 3:13.22 in the 400 free relay at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships.
• Also on the quartet that established a new Cal dual meet record in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:16.54 at the Stanford dual meet (2/16/08).
• Clocked personal bests in the 100 free (48.84) and the 50 free (22.57) at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships.
• Her personal marks in the 50 free (22.57) and 100 free (48.84) rank sixth and eighth respectively on Cal's all-time performance charts.
Best Cal Times (In Yards)
50 free 22.57 (2008 Pac-10s)100 free 48.84 (2008 Pac-10s)
200 free 1:48.37 (2/16/08 at Stanford)
100 fly 52.85 (2008 NCAAs)
200 fly 1:59.78 (2007 Hoosierland)
International Success
- In addition to the 2008 Beijing Games, also represented Hong Kong at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
- Holds Hong Kong records for the 100 free (55.32); 50 free (26.03) and the 100 fly; 59.35.
- Competed in the 2005 and 2007 World Championships (Montreal and Melbourne, respectively); also competed in the 2006 Pan-Pacific Championships.
- Won the bronze medal in 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2006 Asian Games.
- Won 2 gold medals at the 2009 Universiade World Student Games in 100m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly.
- Her success has led to her become the third most searched name on Yahoo HK.
2004 Summer Olympic Games
Competed in her first Olympic Games at the age of 15 and was the only Caucasian athlete in the Hong Kong Olympic squad.2006 Asian Games
Won bronze medal in the women's 4x100m free relay with Tsai Hiu Wai, Lee Leong Kwai and Sze Hang Yu.2008 Summer Olympic Games
Competed in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing in the 100 fly and 100 free events ... swam a new Hong Kong record (placed 30th overall) with a 59.35 in the 100m fly heats and recorded a new Hong Kong record in the 100 free with a time of 55.32.2009 Universiade World Student Games
In a first ever for Hong Kong, Wilson won a 2 gold medals at the 2009 Summer Universiade World Student Games2009 Summer Universiade
The 2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade were celebrated in Belgrade, Serbia from 1 July to 12 July 2009. The event has also been organised by a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina , close to Belgrade. It was the largest sporting event ever to be organised...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. She won the 100 metres women’s freestyle in 54.35 seconds breaking 2008 Summer Olympic Games Britta Steffen
Britta Steffen
Britta Steffen is a German swimmer who specializes in freestyle, who is the current holder of the world record in women's 50 and 100 metre freestyle....
's Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
record by 0.01 seconds. The next day after her 100m freestyle success, she won her 100m butterfly semi-final in 58.52 seconds to break 2004 Summer Olympic Games 200m butterfly gold medalist Otylia Jędrzejczak
Otylia Jedrzejczak
Otylia Jędrzejczak is a Polish swimmer. She is the Olympic champion from Athens 2004 in the 200 metre butterfly. She finished 4th in this event in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also swam in a third Olympiad, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In Athens 2004 she also silvered in...
's Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
record. A day later she won her second gold medal in the 100 metres women's butterfly in a record time of 58.24 seconds to smash her own record by 0.28 seconds. In the 50m freestyle qualifier she broke the Hong Kong record with a time of 25.99 seconds. In the semi-finals she swam a new Hong Kong record of 25.63 pushing forward the old record time by 0.37 seconds. However she misses out on the finals after finishing 11th in the semi-finals. She becomes the first HK athlete to win a medal – and a gold at the World University Games.