Swimmer. Born in Kirkcaldy (Fife), where she gained her first swimming experience in the local pool, Dawson moved with her family to Warrington in England at the age of three. Her father had worked as a dock-worker in Rosyth. She completed her education at the University of Stirling, where she joined their swimming programme. Dawson had won two silver medals at the European Junior Championships in 2013, but went on to success in the European Championships in London (2016), Glasgow (2018) and Budapest (2020). At the latter event she gained a silver medal in the 50m backstroke and gold medals in the 100m backstroke, 4 x 100m medley and 4 x 100m mixed medley, breaking both British and European records. She then went on to win a gold medal in the 4 x 100m mixed medley at the Tokyo Olympics of 2020 in a world record-beating time.
Dawson was voted Scottish Sportswoman of the Year in 2021 and awarded an MBE in 2022 in recognition of her services to swimming and women in sport.
