Adlington became the first Briton to win a gold medal in the pool for 20 years when she picked up gold in Beijing, and the first British swimmer since 1908 to win two Olympic gold medals with her 400 metre and 800m freestyle golds in 2008.

She retired last February and will now use her vast experience to help mentor a group of six young athletes from British Swimming's World Class programme.

"I really wanted to get involved in a mentoring programme because I know how easy it can be within sport to feel on your own," she said.

"Having the opportunity to talk through issues or concerns with someone outside of your usual support network can really help, which is one of the main aims of the programme.

"I've already made contact with most of the group and everyone seems really open to the programme.

"It's completely up to the athletes how often we talk but what's important is that they feel they can come to me with anything.

"If they've had a bad training session, or are concerned about something I hope they will contact me so we can talk through it.

"I'm really keen to pass on any advice I may have gained through my experience of swimming and do all that I can to support the next generation of medallists."

Rebecca Adlington won gold medals in both the 400m and 800m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics ©AFP/Getty Images



British Swimming head coach Bill Furniss, who steered Adlington to two Olympic gold medals in Beijing and double bronze in London, added "We have identified a group of six athletes that Rebecca will work with to help provide an additional support mechanism.

"Rebecca has a great deal of experience and with that comes a unique perspective about what it takes to produce at the highest level.

"I am sure that sharing her advice about how to handle situations and expectations will be very valuable to these young athletes."

One of the swimmers involved in the new mentoring programme is 19-year-old Lauren Quigley, who currently trains with Stockport Metro.

Quigley first showed her potential at the age of 16 when she picked up bronze in the 2011 British Championships, followed by silver in the European Junior Championships in Belgrade.

Lauren Quigley became the British champion in the 100m backstroke at the 2013 British Gas Swimming Championships in Sheffield ©Getty Images



The youngster continued to impress in 2013 where she picked up her first national title with 100m gold in the 2013 British Championships.

"The programme is a really good idea and I am looking forward to being able to access Becky's support and expertise as much as I need," she said.

"Having someone other than my coach or immediate friends and family to help with decisions or hard times will be really useful.

"I'm also hoping to pick up some extra tips and knowledge from Becky's years of being involved with swimming to help with my own journey."

The other five swimmers on the programme are Ross Murdoch, Adam Peaty, Jess Fullalove, Sophie Taylor and Harriet Cooper.

British Swimming has not seen a lot of success on the international stage over the last few years, finishing 15th in the medal standings in London with two bronze - each won by Adlington - and one silver, won by Michael Jamieson, and 20th in the medal standings at the World Championships in Barcelona, where Fran Halsall was their lone medal winner.

They will be hoping that having the support of former medallists such as Adlington on board can help bring the best out of their up-and-coming athletes and ensure future success at the senior level.

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