James Gibson (swimmer)

James Daniel Gibson, MBE (born 6 February 1980) is an English former competitive swimmer and breaststroke who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, FINA world championships and European championships, and England in the Commonwealth Games. He is a former world, European and Commonwealth champion in the men's 50-metre breaststroke event, and now serves as the head swimming coach at the Energy Standard International Swim Club.

James Daniel Gibson
MBE

Personal information
Full name	James Gibson
National team	Great Britain
Born	(1980-02-06) 6 February 1980 Chelmsford, England
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
College team	Loughborough University
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Great Britain World Championships (LC) 2003 Barcelona 50 m breaststroke 2003 Barcelona 100 m breaststroke European Championships (LC) 2006 Budapest 4×100 m medley European Championships (SC) 2003 Dublin 100 m breaststroke 2001 Antwerp 100 m breaststroke 2001 Antwerp 4×50 m medley 2008 Rijeka 100 m breaststroke Summer Universiade 2003 Daegu 50 m breaststroke 2003 Daegu 100 m breaststroke Representing  England Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester 50 m breaststroke 2006 Melbourne 100 m breaststroke 2002 Manchester 100 m breaststroke

Born in Chelmsford, Essex, and raised in Witham. He first started swimming at Witham Dolphins swimming club in Essex and is now the clubs lifelong president, Gibson's primary swimming stroke is the breaststroke and he competed in the 50-, 100- and 200-metre events. In 2003 he became world champion at 50 metres (long-course). He was 6th in the 100 metre event at the Athens Olympics in 2004. A year earlier, at the 2003 Summer Universiade, he won titles in both the 50- and 100-metre breaststroke.

In choosing three words to describe himself, Gibson has said, "confidence, positive and pecs",[1] referring to his prodigious pectoral muscles. On a 2003 edition of the sports-comedy quiz show They Think It's All Over he admitted to rippling his chest muscles before races in order to "freak out" the opposition.

He was appointed MBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours. Gibson's club was Loughborough University where he was coached by Ben Titley. He now coaches himself at the Energy Standard International Swim Club primarily training in Turkey.