British Olympian Chapman Decides to Move in Another Direction -- November 7, 2005

LONDON, England, November 7. A British Olympian, Lisa Chapman has decided to hang up her suit and pursue coaching opportunities around the pool. The reigning European champion in the short-course version of the 100-meter individual medley, Chapman recently announced her decision after competing for the past three years at the Loughborough University pool.

"It's been a difficult couple of years for me but I stuck to my aim of competing in an Olympic final despite the hardships I suffered," Chapman said. “I lost my dad through illness last year and I've found it difficult to survive and train without an income. I struggled to gain funding because of being out of the water at the wrong time - it's just been a case of bad luck but you get to the point where you have to look ahead."

A 21-year-old, Chapman contested the final of the 400 freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and helped the British squad claim a sixth-place finish. Now, she’s ready to move into the next phase of her career.

"I will be looking at coaching as I want to stay involved in swimming,” she said. “It seems like a natural progression to me and is something I'm looking forward to."