Sarah Hardcastle specialised in the 400- and 800-metre freestyle, and competed in medley races.
15 Facts About Sarah Hardcastle
1.
2.
Sarah Hardcastle 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.
3.
Sarah Hardcastle finished second in the 800-metre freestyle at the British national championships in 1982, aged 13.
4.
Sarah Hardcastle was selected for the England team at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, where she reached the final of the 800-metre freestyle.
5.
Sarah Hardcastle won bronze in the 800-metre freestyle, and finished ninth the 400-metre individual medley.
6.
Sarah Hardcastle won the silver medal in the 800-metre freestyle and finished sixth in the 400-metre freestyle at the 1985 European Championships.
7.
Sarah Hardcastle's time in the 400-metre freestyle was a Commonwealth Games record.
8.
Sarah Hardcastle won the bronze medal in the 400-metre freestyle at the 1986 World Championships.
9.
Sarah Hardcastle initially retired from competitive swimming in 1986 at the age of 17; in a 2012 interview she said that after years of training she had wanted to have a normal teenage life.
10.
Sarah Hardcastle participated in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.
11.
Sarah Hardcastle retired permanently from competitive swimming after the 1996 Olympics, later moving to New Zealand to work as a swimming coach.
12.
Sarah Hardcastle was born in Chelmsford, Essex and attended Shoebury High School.
13.
Sarah Hardcastle's mother, Ann Hardcastle, is a former swimming coach who taught several British elite swimmers including Mark Foster.
14.
Sarah Hardcastle married Lee Thomas in 1995; the couple have four children.
15.
Sarah Hardcastle's daughter Eve Thomas is a current international swimmer representing New Zealand.