“I had no self-confidence at that time because I stuck out like a sore thumb.<\/p>\n

“All my friends were short, had brown hair and nice tanned skin and I was just completely different to that. I never got teased for it or anything.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Speedo<\/p><\/div>\n
Nerves, shyness, little confidence and a heightened sense of self-consciousness is a potent mix for a youngster but she found a sense of belonging in the water.<\/p>\n
“Swimming has taught me that no-one cares what you look like when you\u2019re swimming, it\u2019s all about how fast you can go and that has been a real help for me.<\/p>\n
“You\u2019re not going to a fashion show, you\u2019re going to a swimming competition so it doesn\u2019t really matter how you look.<\/p>\n
“There you\u2019re surrounded by all sorts of tall girls as well so it makes you feel a bit more home.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Society often attaches labels to people, be they character traits, perception or physical characteristics.<\/p>\n
Height is no exception with tall people sometimes described as “giants” and smaller individuals as “pocket rockets”.<\/p>\n
Anderson insists the use of such language doesn’t offend her although she understands how some people may find such terms distressing, saying:<\/p>\n
“I think there\u2019s a good example with me and Anna Hopkin (British teammate). We are a foot apart in height and we go the same time in the 100 free.<\/p>\n
“I think that just shows there is no ideal height for racing in swimming.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0“If I saw things like that written it wouldn\u2019t really affect me that much because at the time I was my own biggest critic.<\/p>\n
“Things that people would say wouldn\u2019t be half as bad as I was telling myself even though it didn\u2019t apply to me.<\/p>\n
“I can see how it could be quite damaging to people if you are insecure about being tall growing up and these tall women are getting called giants and all that \u2013 that can be a bit disheartening.<\/p>\n
“But I think when they\u2019re racing fast and swimming fast and they\u2019re tall it\u2019s a bit of a bonus \u2013 it shows that you can be successful.<\/p>\n
“Once you get older you realise in yourself there\u2019s more to the life than all this. I think that just comes with experiences that you go through in life.<\/p>\n
“Not fitting in and things doesn\u2019t really matter.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
From Tears On Poolside And iPad Woe To The International Podium<\/h3>\n
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Freya Anderson: Photo Courtesy: Speedo<\/p><\/div>\n
Anderson was a nervous 10-year-old who hid behind her mother on poolside, crying and screaming, ahead of a trial for Hoylake Swimming Club.<\/a><\/p>\n
The Speedo athlete started out as a breaststroker before transforming herself into a freestyler and at 14, while under the keen eye of Paul Remmonds<\/strong> at Wirral Metro<\/strong>, she won the 100\/200 free double at the national age group finals.<\/p>\n
That had followed a stagnant year after which Remmonds challenged her to either give up or\u00a0\u201cget your head down and keep going.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n
With her GCSEs coming up, Anderson\u2019s parents thought it would be good to merge schooling and swimming.<\/p>\n
And so she moved to board at Ellesmere College<\/strong> where the school team \u2013 the Titans \u2013 are coached by Alan Bircher<\/strong>, an open water and distance freestyler for Britain in his own racing days.<\/p>\n
She still had a chronic lack of confidence and on one occasion Bircher had to fish the teenager out of the water only for her to be so upset she couldn’t speak, instead writing down the cause of the upset.<\/p>\n
Which was?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds stupid. I was in year nine and you used to have to get your phones taken off you at night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept my iPad which wasn\u2019t allowed and the prefects \u2013 the girls that were in year 11 or 10 \u2013 saw that I liked someone\u2019s photo on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all kicked off and was like \u2018give me your iPad now\u2019 and I got really upset about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking back on it now it\u2019s hilarious but I was so upset about it I was literally ready to pack my bags and leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I can laugh at it and I\u2019m friends with the girls so it just shows how much I\u2019ve developed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"Freya$
Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS \/ ISL<\/p><\/div>\n
Her development in the pool continued apace and in 2016 she was crowned European junior champion over 100 free and paid three further visits to the podium with silver in the 4\u00d7200 free relay and bronze medals in the 4\u00d7100 free and 4x100m medley.<\/p>\n
In 2017 she made her senior international debut at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, before a stunning 2018 season.<\/p>\n
Two relay bronzes with Team England at the Commonwealth Games were followed by 50 and 100 free titles at the European Junior Championships and a month later she won two golds and two bronze medals in the relays at the European Championships in Glasgow.<\/p>\n
Anderson then visited the global senior podium at the 2019 worlds in Gwangju where she came away with bronze after anchoring the mixed 4×100 medley relay.<\/p>\n
Come 2020 and the Flanders Cup<\/a> where she elevated herself to third all-time among British women over 200 free in 1:56.06, leaving the competition with three golds.<\/p>\n
It all hinted at exciting things to come in Tokyo but that came to a juddering halt with the postponement because of the havoc wreaked across the world by Covid-19.<\/p>\n
It meant she brought forward her move to Bath National Training Centre<\/strong> to be coached by Dave McNulty<\/strong> which was scheduled to take place after the Olympics.<\/p>\n
Anderson has flourished in an environment she describes as “professional,” adding:<\/p>\n
“It’s always about bettering yourself and in return helping your own team-mates out.<\/p>\n
“I remember after trials there were five of us going to Europans and two girls that weren\u2019t and Dave just said to them ‘we\u2019re all in this together, I need you girls to help lift this group up, keep everyone on the straight ready to go to Europeans’.<\/p>\n
“So it\u2019s all about not being selfish in that group.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Budapest Success And Heemskerk Inspiration<\/h3>\n
Come Budapest and Anderson was a regular visitor to the podium, winning five relay golds and claiming her first individual senior long-course medal with bronze in the 200 free behind Barbora Seemanova<\/strong> and Federica Pellegrini<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
It has some talking up her medal chances in Tokyo<\/a> although she knows only too well the quality and depth she faces over 100 and 200 where her PBs are 53.31 and 1:56.06 respectively.<\/p>\n
Emma McKeon<\/strong> on 52.19 leads seven women to go sub-53 over 100 this season while her Australian teammate Ariarne Titmus<\/strong> produced a shuddering 1:53.09 at the trials for the second-fastest 200 in history behind only Pellegrini’s world record.<\/p>\n
$\"Freya$
4×200 relay, 2021 European Championships: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia\/Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n
Anderson describes herself as “an over-thinker in general – I over-think every aspect of my life” and a lingering self-doubt isn’t far from the surface as she says:<\/p>\n
“I guess in a way it\u2019s nice people have that confidence in me even though I don\u2019t have it in myself. I try not to listen to it.<\/p>\n
“I guess I put a bit of a cap on myself sometimes: a cap on my expectations of myself which is bad obviously, you shouldn\u2019t be putting a limit on what you can try and achieve.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes you go through a period of self-doubt: it\u2019s all about trying to get that balance in your head I think of not being too complacent but still having that strive to get to be the best.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Budapest though was invaluable in terms of competing once more in an extended meet and also provided confidence in terms of recovery.<\/p>\n
There was also inspiration in the form of Femke Heemskerk<\/strong> with the Netherlands swimmer claiming her first individual international long-course title at the age of 33<\/a> in the 100 free.<\/p>\n
Heemskerk’s success was an affirmation of sorts for Anderson and proof of longevity, that success may not come tomorrow but at a point some way down the line.<\/p>\n
“Definitely. To see Femke winning her first individual gold at 33 sort of takes the pressure off you I guess. You don\u2019t have to be good at this age.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s like when Adam Peaty says he wasn\u2019t a breakout until he was 20 or something.<\/p>\n
“Because I\u2019ve been junior swimming and even at the worlds when I was 16 I\u2019ve always had that pressure on me \u2013 oh you have to be good now.<\/p>\n
“Seeing Ranomi\u00a0 (Kromowdijojo, 30) still going, seeing Federica (Pellegrini, 32) still going and being successful sort of makes you relax a bit and think maybe your time will be a bit later on.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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