Success story: Mark Foster competing at the 2008 World ChampionshipsWhat was your first pay packet? The most prize money I ever got was £20,000 when I broke the world record for the 50m butterfly at Empire Pool, Cardiff, in 1996. Being from Southend in Essex, I'd been a bit of a boy racer and always wanted fast cars. The best money decision you've made? If I came into a load of money, I'd pay that off first.

Source: Daily Mail January 04, 2026 23:51 UTC