Hayley Peirsol Taking a Break From Swimming

By Jason Marsteller

PHOENIX, Arizona, October 11. WITH rumors swirling around the swimming community about Hayley Peirsol's potential retirement, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com spoke with her coach Bob Bowman to get the inside scoop on the rumors.

Coach Bowman, currently in Colorado Springs, Colo., for some meetings, explained that he would not completely rule out a return to swimming for Peirsol at some point.

"She has been struggling with this decision for awhile," Bowman said. "I respect her decision, and the way she handled it. She really put a lot of thought into it. She took the second half of the summer to think about it, and she has decided to take a break from swimming to focus more on school and some other priorities. I'm not sure the door is 100-percent closed for a possible return, though."

Peirsol's most recent success came during the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne when she earned a bronze medal in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:26.41. She did so from lane one, with Kate Ziegler (8:18.52) and Laure Manaudou (8:18.80) finishing ahead of her.

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