Hannah Jane Arnett Wilson is a Hong Kong retired amateur swimmer. She is a three-time Olympic swimmer for Hong Kong, having swum at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She has won two career Universiadegold medals. As of July 11, 2009, Wilson currently holds 10 Hong Kong records and two Universiade records in swimming. However, she struggled but eventually received the International Olympic Committee's permission to race in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Originally the IOC's policy would have barred Wilson from representing Hong Kong, which was a cause for distress throughout Hong Kong. She has since renounced her British citizenship to take up Chinese citizenship and a Hong Kong SAR passport in her pursuit to represent Hong Kong in swimming for at least the next decade. At the 2006 Asian Games, she was a member of the bronze medal-winning team in the women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, after attending Peak School from 1994 to 2000 and Island School from 2000 to 2007. She was recommended to attend the University of California, Berkeley by her 2006 Asian Games bronze medal-winning teammate Tsai Hiu Wai, who was the former swimming captain of the California Golden Bears. Her college teammates include 2008 Summer Olympics 100 m backstroke gold medalist Natalie Coughlin and 4 × 100 m freestyle relay silver medalist Emily Silver. The California Golden Bears are coached by Teri McKeever, the United States assistant coach at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She retired from competitive swimming following the 2012 Olympics. She now works in Hong Kong.
Academics
• A-Level Subjects: Physical Education, Geography, Psychology, • Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Cal Success
• 2008 All-American • Swam a lifetime best 52.85 in the 100 fly at the 2008 NCAA Championships final to earn All-America honors. • Was on the NCAA runner-up 200 free relay quartet at the 2008 NCAA Championships. • Was the third leg of a foursome that set a Cal dual meet record with a 1:32.22 in the 200 free relay at UCLA. • Was on the foursome that set a new Pac-10 meet record 3:13.22 in the 400 free relay at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships. • Also on the quartet that established a new Cal dual meet record in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:16.54 at the Stanford dual meet. • Clocked personal bests in the 100 free and the 50 free at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships. • Her personal marks in the 50 free and 100 free rank sixth and eighth respectively on Cal's all-time performance charts.
Her success has led to her become the third most searched name on Yahoo HK.
2004 Summer Olympics
Wilson was the only caucasian on the Hong Kong Olympic squad and made her inaugural Olympics in 2004 at the age of 15.
2006 Asian Games
Won bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 m free relay with Tsai Hiu Wai, Lee Leong Kwai and Sze Hang Yu.
2008 Summer Olympics
Competed in the 2008 Summers in Beijing in the 100 fly and 100 free events... swam a new Hong Kong record with a 59.35 in the 100m fly heats and recorded a new Hong Kong record in the 100 free with a time of 55.32.
2009 Universiade
In a first ever for Hong Kong, Wilson won a 2 gold medals at the 2009 Summer Universiade World Student Games in Belgrade, Serbia. She won the 100 metres women’s freestyle in 54.35 seconds breaking 2008 Summer Olympics Britta Steffen's Universiade record by 0.01 seconds. The next day after her 100m freestyle success, she won her 100m butterfly semi-final in 58.52 seconds to break 2004 Summer Olympics 200m butterfly gold medalist Otylia Jędrzejczak's Universiade record. A day later she won her second gold medal in the 100 metres women's butterfly in a record time of 58.24 seconds to smash her own record by 0.28 seconds. In the 50m freestyle qualifier she broke the Hong Kong record with a time of 25.99 seconds. In the semi-finals she swam a new Hong Kong record of 25.63 pushing forward the old record time by 0.37 seconds. However, she misses out on the finals after finishing 11th in the semi-finals. She becomes the first HK athlete to win a medal – and a gold at the Universiade.
