Jodie Swallow

Jodie Swallow (born June 23, 1981) is a triathlete from the United Kingdom.

She attends Loughborough University, where she studies physical education and sports science.

Although still young Swallow has has a long list of sporting successes behind her.

As a schoolgirl she represented her country at both cross country running and swimming the highlight being a bronze medal at the European Swimming Championships when only sixteen years old.

After contracting glandular fever Swallow thought the set-back may end her sporting career but she gained a new lease of life at university and eventually took up the triathlon.

She made remarkable progress at the event winning four out of her first five races and has now reached a level where she is a regular on the ITU World Cup series.

In October 2003 Swallow took second place, behind Michellie Jones, at the Athens world cup event that was to test the course for the following years Olympic Games.

A rash of injuries during the early part of the year looked likely to make her miss the 2004 Summer Olympics and she was given a deadline by her athletics federation to prove her fitness. At a televised race in Salford, Manchester she had a good swim and looked fit again but on the cycle section of the event a BBC camera-motorbike clipped a traffic cone which flew up and caused Swallow to crash out.

As she had not been able able to complete the course there were still doubts over her form. Nevertheless, the British Triathlon Association decided that Swallow would be among the three triathletes representing the nation at the 2004 Summer Olympics rather than the alternate, Andrea Whitcombe.

Swallow competed at a race in Tiszaújváros, Hungary where she placed 15th place.

At the Athens Olympics, Swallow placed thirty-fourth. Her time of 2:15:06.78 was more than three minutes slower than the the thirty-third placed contestant's and slightly more than ten minutes behind the gold medallist's.