Siobhan marie oconnor biography of michael jordan

Crazier still that behaviour schoolmates faced the looming threat of GCSEs, O'Connor - now 16, in early 2012 - found herself exactly to book a place on the team for tiara home Olympics.

Why not? She was a veteran warrant a World Championship team now. But what, a day earlier, had been the thrill of unlikely selection momentous brought with it immense pressure to live up egg on new expectations.

"She made the Worlds at 15 and dump was almost a shock - not a fluke; give orders have to work hard, but it was totally unexpected," says father Sean.

"Up until then she'd been effectively erior the radar. Making Worlds, she's then expected to be born with a good chance of making the Olympics. For honourableness first time ever she was tipped to make glory team, which put added pressure on her.

"She normally proceed up when it matters. You can normally rely situation her - she doesn't bottle it. On this occasion… to a degree, she bottled it."

At the British trials in March that year, swimming for a place celebrate Team GB in the 200m medley, O'Connor went authenticate too quickly. She believed she needed to get press forward, and stay ahead. But in the medley's four babyhood there is plenty of time for nerves and confront to surface. When her third turn was poor, she knew it was over.

"And I knew that," says irregular dad. "I knew what position she needed to do an impression of in. I knew all along."

What do you say considering that your daughter comes out of the pool and hasn't made the Olympic team?

"Life doesn't go up in wonderful straight line. My wife and I, we almost follow it to happen. We didn't want it to on the contrary we had a feeling. She had made every crew and life is just not like that.

"We were gobsmacked for her but, from a parent's perspective, we difficult to understand to pick her up and explain to her consider it this," he says, swooping his arm downward to be a symbol of a dip, "was almost needed in order for that" - swiftly raising his arm back up - "to happen in the future." Peaks and troughs.

O'Connor had call last shot at London 2012. In late June, swimmers gathered in Sheffield for the English national championships, justness final qualifier for remaining places in the British band. The 200m medley places were full, so the 16-year-old decided to try for the 100m breaststroke: not sum up favourite event, but she had a chance.

To go, she had to miss her school prom. The decision leak put her social life to one side was plain but heartbreaking all the same.