Mum-of-two, headteacher and former Team GB athlete Helen Smith tragically passed away while on holiday with family
A former Olympic swimmer and headteacher has tragically passed away after she went to bed while on a family holiday.
READ MORE: Town comes to standstill as thousands gather at heartbreaking vigil for Clonmel crash victims "It was Rob's 40th birthday celebrations we had gone as a family. We were all together and then she went to bed and that was it," Nicola told the MEN. Helen was a well-respected accomplished swimmer and competed for Team GB in the 200m backstroke at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and won a number of other medals in the sport, including a bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and silvers at the World Short Course Championships of 1999.
"She was always the type to seize the moment. She had an amazing work ethic, built through her swimming career when she was very young which stuck with her through the rest of her life, from competing in the Olympics to her career as a school teacher. She was keen to bring up young children and encourage them to be the best they could be.
Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies described Helen in a tweet as a 'fierce competitor' who always had a 'huge smile on her face' as ex-world champion British swimmer Mark Foster said she had an 'infectious smile and laugh'.
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