Manaudou calls it a day
Fallen French swim star Laure Manaudou, an Olympic gold medalist in 2004 who dominated her sport from the Athens Games to 2007, has announced her retirement from the pool at the age of 22.
"It's decided. I'm stopping. It wasn't an easy decision to take," Manaudou told the daily Aujourd'hui en France.
"It wasn't an impulsive decision," the three-time world champion added, saying it had been some time in coming.
Manaudou became a national heroine at the 2004 Athens Olympics at age 17 when she took gold in the 400 metres freestyle - the first ever for her country for a woman. She also won silver in the 800 metres freestyle and bronze in the 100 metres backstroke.
Despite going on to set several world records, Manaudou struggled to stay on top as problems with her long-time coach and an ugly breakup with her Italian swimmer boyfriend saw her picture splashed over the gossip magazines.
"I realised at this moment that swimming was no longer a pleasure for me," she told the newspaper.
She attempted to bounce back at the Beijing Olympics but failed miserably and fled the pool in tears.
Manaudou, who is also reported by friends as being pregnant, pulled the plug on her 2009 season in January saying she had lost the will to compete at the highest level.
"The hunger hasn't come back. Today I have other interests ... I just know that when I get up in the morning I don't feel like going to swim.
"I have all the titles. I have all that I wanted, even more than I dreamed of ... I have plenty of time to think about my future," said Manaudou, who regularly used to swim up to 14 kilometres a day from the age of 14 and has 30 French individual titles to her name.
"There's also the media pressure. Whatever I do, I am always spied upon. I hope that they will leave me in peace."
Manaudou also regretted her decision to abandon traditional schooling at the age of 14 to carry on her swimming and advised any future swimming stars to carry on with their studies.
"All my life I've talked swimming. When I come across someone who's not involved in it, I don't have many things to say. And I'm shy.
"They (up and coming swimmers) should live their passion but not stop their studies. It's important to build oneself up, to get away and to think of other things. Personally, I would have preferred to have something alongside swimming."
The news was met with dismay from France national coach Christian Donze, who automatically thought ahead to the next Olympic Games in London in three years' time.
"With such a talent I was convinced that she could get herself back in the saddle for 2012," he said.
The French swimming federation, however, expressed its thanks to Manaudou, saying it understood her decision to call it quits.
"Her titles and records and exemplary behaviour have improved the level of the current performance of French swimming," it said.
But the federation added that her retirement did not necessarily mean that she would no longer be involved in the sport, saying it had offered her a role as a swim coach.
"We all in fact remain convinced that swimming will always be able to count on Laure, just as Laure will always be able to count on our support," it said.
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