Adlington calls it a day
Britain's double Olympic champion swimmer Rebecca Adlington has retired from competition to concentrate on grassroots coaching, the 23-year-old said on Tuesday.
Adlington, who holds the world record in the 800 metres freestyle, won two golds in Beijing in 2008 and two bronze medals at London 2012. "I love swimming but as a competitive element and elite athlete I won't compete any more," she told reporters. "I have achieved everything I wanted to. Some people want to milk it all they can. I've always said I wanted to finish on a high, despite my love of the sport. "I did feel old at 23, female distance swimming is going a lot younger as was evident in London. I can't compete with that and can't do the same level of work. I need a lot more rest and recovery. I think it was the perfect time."
"My vision is that every child in Britain will be able to swim 25 metres by the time they leave primary school.”
