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Glasgow 2014: "We're like the golden couple" - Chris Walker-Hebborn and girlfriend Siobhan-Marie O'Connor celebrate swimming success

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They have been dubbed Bath's golden couple after winning three Commonwealth Games titles and eight medals between them at Glasgow 2014.

And Chris Walker-believes much of his success during the past week can be put down to the happiness he has found with fellow swim star Siobhan-Marie O'Connor.

"I am a different swimmer at the moment, she has been so supportive and a huge help to me," said Walker-Hebborn, who won the 100m backstroke title before setting England on their way to a stunning 4x100m medley relay success.

"We have been together for four months now and everyone is really happy for us. The last week could not have worked out any better for us, I suppose we're like the golden couple really.

"Siobhan-Marie has been absolutely brilliant this week and I am one proud bloke."

O'Connor won medals in all six of the events she entered at the Tollcross Swimming Centre, with the highlight being 200m individual medley gold in a world-best time.

The 18-year-old also won silver in the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly, plus the 4x100m medley and 4x100m freestyle relays.

And she completed her medal collection with bronze alongside fellow Bath teenager Amelia Maughan in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

"You've got to take it one race at a time but to come away from the meet with six medals is unbelievable," said O'Connor, who started swimming aged seven with Keynsham ASC.

"It's been such a good atmosphere, people have swum out of their skins and I feel really proud just to have been a part of it.

"There's such a good feeling right now in England and we've all had such a great time as a team."

Not that O'Connor and co have had much time to celebrate – they are back in training at the University of Bath on Thursday morning as they prepare for next month's European Championships in Berlin.

"It's been a fantastic week but a bit surreal to be honest because we've not had a lot of time just to relax and reflect on it," said Walker-Hebborn, who will fly out to a British Swimming holding camp in Majorca on Saturday.

"The Commonwealth Games have been our main aim all season, so it is going to be hard to refocus and come back down to earth."

Walker-Hebborn will be looking to build on a breakthrough Games, which also saw him narrowly miss out on a 50m backstroke medal.

"The aim was always to come away with gold in the 100m and the medley," said the 24-year-old, who has been training with Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle in Bath since 2008.

"I knew it would be tough to medal in the 50m, and a couple of things did go wrong in that race, but to get two golds was amazing.

"Anyone who has been following my career – I'll say that rather than progress – will know that I had a great jump up to senior level in 2009 but things did not really go anywhere after that, so it's pretty special to have finally done it when it really matters.

"I've been in Bath since the off, I'm the last original member left standing. Dave, Graeme and I have our ups and downs but they have been there for me through it all.

"They believe in me, they support me and they have put a lot of money into me, so I could not be happier to have repaid them."

Glasgow 2014:


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