Sunday, September 23, 2012
Britain's Adlington rules out competing at Rio Olympics
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Rebecca Adlington, who won two golds in Beijing and two bronze medals in London, has ruled out competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she has told the Mail on Sunday.
"Rio is out of reach. I'll be 27 then and swimming, especially for distance swimmers, is a young person's game," said Adlington, who finished third behind 15-year-old American Katie Ledecky in the 800 metres freestyle at the London Games.
Britain's Rebecca Adlington waves after the women's 800m freestyle final during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre August 3, 2012. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne"If I was a sprinter I'd go to Rio. But I don't have an ounce of sprinting in me, and that's why my Olympics are over," added the golden girl of British swimming.
Adlington, who holds the world record in the 800 freestyle, is Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer and before her no British woman had won swimming medals in successive Games.
Having ruled out another Olympics, she has not yet decided whether she will compete at next year's world championships in Barcelona or the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
"Swimming is still in my heart but, physically, I'm ready to finish completely," she said. "If I were to race in Glasgow - and that's an if - then it would be in the 200 and 400, but definitely not the 800. I'm done with that distance."
"I have a holiday coming up and then a charity bike ride in Africa and there are many other things I plan to do, so maybe I'll decide after that to call it a day completely."
(Writing by Ken Ferris; Editing by Ian Ransom)
- Yongbo: Beat us if you can, not good for China to win all the time
- Thai Ratchanok wins many hearts with her gritty display
- Indonesian Rexy's advise to M'sian team: Stick together as a family
- Tennis: Djokovic blocks Nadal path to Paris super eight
- Squash:M'sian Nicol beats New Zealander in straight sets to reach last four
- Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning
- Basketball: Warriors have no problem taming Dragons in Jakarta
- MSSM meet: 15 records in five days augur well for M’sian athletics
- Golf: Molinari leads but Ryder Cup colleagues crash out
- Pirelli tyre-d of F1 and announce they are ready to quit
- NBA: Pacers edge Heat to even series
- Arat: Istanbul bid to host the 2020 Olympic is about building bridges
- Golf: Two share lead at inaugural rain-hit Pure Silk LPGA
- Golf: Kuchar leads weather-hit Colonial
- Kuchar one ahead at weather-hit Colonial
- Woods heads potent field for next week's Memorial
- Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning
- Golf: Molinari leads but Ryder Cup colleagues crash out
- Tennis: Djokovic blocks Nadal path to Paris super eight
- Donald bemoans 'terrible' display as he exits PGA
RSS
