June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
Best Known For
British swimmer Liam Tancock is a world record holder in the 50-meter and 100-meter backstroke events.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowLiam Tancock. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:08, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199.
Liam Tancock. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Liam Tancock." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 09:08 http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199.
"Liam Tancock," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Liam Tancock," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Liam Tancock [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199.
Liam Tancock, http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Liam Tancock. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/liam-tancock-20883199. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in 1985, Liam Tancock got his start as a swimmer with the Exter City Swimming Club. He won a gold medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships in the 50-meter backstroke, and then competed at the 2008 Olympics, coming in sixth in his event. In 2009, he set a new record for the 50-meter backstroke, and went on to win the 50-meter backstroke event at the 2011 World Championships. Tancock came close to winning an Olympic medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London,
Quotes
"I figure I did well and I got among the top five in the world. I'm a racer. Most of these guys are setting massive times in the training pool, which I'm doing as well. The connection is trying to do that in the pool."
-Tancock (Regarding his performance at the 2012 Olympics.)
placing fifth in the 100-meter backstroke (53.35 seconds) and fourth—with Britain's men's swimming team—in the 4-by-100-meter medley relay.
Early Life
The son of a teaching assistant and building company director, Liam Tancock learned to swim around the age of 5. He started competing when he was 8, with the Exeter City Swimming Club. While he loved both swimming and playing rugby growing up, he decided to focus on swimming in his mid-teens.
Tancock soon proved to be a tough competitor. In 2001, he won three bronze medals at the 6 Nations Junior International event. Two years later, he won a gold medal at the European Junior Championships in one of his top events, the 50-meter backstroke. He also brought home a silver medal for the 100-meter backstroke.
World-Class Swimmer
In 2008, Tancock competed at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He came in a disappointing sixth place in the men's 100-meter backstroke finals. It was such a tight race that he only missed a bronze medal by about two-tenths of a second. The following year, Tancock set a new world record in the 50-meter backstroke at the World Championships, held in Rome.
Tancock has continued to thrive at his sport. He won the 50-meter backstroke title at the 2011 World Championships, and won his place on the British Olympic Swim Team the following year. He then set a new world record for the 100-meter backstroke during his country's 2012 Olympic trials. "I don't look at there being extra pressure at London in 2012, I look at it as an exciting time," he told The Telegraph.
While Tancock had a strong performance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he didn't bring home any Olympic medals; he placed fifth in the 100-meter backstroke (53.35 seconds) and fourth—with Britain's men's swimming team—in the 4-by-100-meter medley relay. In an interview with The Telegraph, Tancock said he wasn't incredibly disappointed about his Olympic results: "Some people will go away and say you weren’t quite quick enough this time," he said. "I figure I did well and I got among the top five in the world. I'm a racer. Most of these guys are setting massive times in the training pool, which I’m doing as well. The connection is trying to do that in the pool."
Out of the Pool
Tancock is a sports science student at Loughborough University. He is currently dating fellow swimmer Caitlin McClatchey. She competed at the 2012 Olympics as well, in the women's 200-meter freestyle event.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Liam Tancock profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Olympic 2012 Athletes
View groupThe 2012 London Summer Olympic Games set the stage for fierce competition among the world's top athletes in track and field, boxing, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and basketball, among other sports. Explore Biography.com's list of Olympic 2012 Athletes, from swimmers Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte to javelin-throwing beauty Leryn Franco, to swift track stars Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sanya Richards-Ross, and more.
Olympic 2012 Athletes 49 people in this group
presented by Olympic 2012 Athletes -
Hottest Olympic Athletes
View groupOlympic athletes draw crowds for their amazing achievements, but some have all eyes on them because of their movie star looks and ripped bodies. These sexy athletes have graced the covers of magazines and earned the status of "Olympic hearththrobs." From 1970s Olympic hottie Bruce Jenner to sexy swimmer Ryan Lochte to javelin-throwing model Leryn Franco, here are some of the Hottest Olympic Athletes that make fans' hearts flutter.
Hottest Olympic Athletes 26 people in this group
-
Famous Taureans 515 people in this group
