Sarah Hardcastle

Sarah Hardcastle

Personal information
Full name	Sarah Lucy Hardcastle
National team	Great Britain
Born	(1969-04-09) 9 April 1969 (age 48) Chelmsford, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, individual medley
Medal record Women's swimming Representing Great Britain Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles 400 m freestyle 1984 Los Angeles 800 m freestyle World Championships – Long Course 1986 Madrid 400 m freestyle World Championships – Short Course 1995 Rio de Janeiro 800 m freestyle 1995 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle European Championships – Long Course 1985 Sofia 800 m freestyle 1983 Rome 800 m freestyle 1993 Sheffield 4×200 m freestyle Representing  England Commonwealth Games 1986 Edinburgh 400 m freestyle 1986 Edinburgh 800 m freestyle 1986 Edinburgh 4×200 m freestyle 1994 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle 1986 Edinburgh 400 m medley 1994 Victoria 400 m freestyle

Sarah Lucy Hardcastle (born 9 April 1969), also known by her married name Sarah Thomas, is a British former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, world championships and European championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. She specialised in the 400- and 800-metre freestyle, and also competed in medley races. Hardcastle won multiple major championship medals over the course of her career, including individual silver and bronze medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics at the age of 15 and two individual gold medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She retired from the sport in 1986 but returned in 1993, winning gold at the World Short Course Championships for the 800-metre freestyle in 1995 and reaching the final of the same event at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Hardcastle finished second in the 800-metre freestyle at the British national championships in 1982, aged 13. She was selected for the England team at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, where she reached the final of the 800-metre freestyle. In 1983 she won the bronze medal in the 800-metre freestyle at the European Championships, aged 14.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she became the youngest ever British woman to win an Olympic medal when she won silver in the 400-metre freestyle, aged 15 years, 3 months and 22 days. She also won bronze in the 800-metre freestyle, and finished ninth the 400-metre individual medley.

Hardcastle won the silver medal in the 800-metre freestyle and finished sixth in the 400-metre freestyle at the 1985 European Championships. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games, she won gold medals in both the 400- and 800-metre freestyle. Her time of 8:24.77 in the 800-metre freestyle was the second-fastest ever recorded, 0.15 seconds outside the world record held by Tracey Wickham, and a new European record. Her time in the 400-metre freestyle was a Commonwealth Games record. She also won bronze in the 400-metre individual medley, and was a member of the team that won silver in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay. She won the bronze medal in the 400-metre freestyle at the 1986 World Championships.

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