Stephanie Rice Talks Retirement After London Olympics

By Ian Hanson, Swimming World's Australian correspondent

BRISBANE, Queensland, December 8. Australia's reigning triple Olympic swimming gold medallist Stephanie Rice has announced that the London 2012 Olympics could well be her last hurrah in a glittering international swimming career.

With Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim and Libby Trickett following Geoff Huegill into the comeback lanes in preparation for the Australian Olympic Swim Trials in Adelaide next March, Rice has declared that at 24, London will be her swansong.

Rice, the defending Olympic champion over 200 and 400m individual medley and as a member of Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay, has dropped to her Beijing race weight, with her lowest skin folds in four years.

One of swimming's most determined racers, Rice has told Brisbane's Courier Mail that the toll on her body will be enough by then and to retire at the pinnacle of international sport will be perfect timing.

She has admitted that her ailing shoulder issues are still causing her problems and could certainly cause her further concerns post 2012.

"I will be 24 and time to move on and make some new changes I think," Rice told Courier Mail Olympic swimming writer Todd Balym.

"I just know within myself I wouldn't be able to give that effort for another four years and I don't really see the point in swimming through to (retire at) a non- Olympic event, because the Olympics is the pinnacle.

"I'm just making sure I dot all the I's and cross all the T's now so I don't have regrets later on. I really wouldn't want to say I've quit or will quit after this because you never know what will happen in time, but I don't see myself swimming for another four years.

"Swimming requires so much commitment and dedication and I know if I'm not giving 100 per cent to it I'm not going to get the results I want and I don't see the point in doing something half-heartedly."

Rice is preparing for her first competition of the summer, the week-long Queensland State Championships, which starts at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre on Saturday.

The Championships has attracted a host of big names, including Trickett, Klim, recently crowned Australian Swimmer of the Year, world 100m freestyle champion, James Magnussen as well as Lesiel Jones, Matt Targett, Jessicah Schipper, Brenton Rickard, Christian Sprenger, Meagen Nay and latest teenage sprint find Cameron McEvoy.

All eyes will be on Magnussen who will line up against Korea's world 400m champion Park Tae-Hwan over 200m in what will be a tantalising start to the Championships between the two world champions on Sunday night.

Park has returned to Brisbane to again link up with Rice's coach Michael Bohl at St Peters Western Lutheran College.

Magnussen has indicated he is keen to race the 200m at the Olympic Trials but has also said he will not consider it as part of his race program for London, so as not to jeopardise his preparation for his favoured 100m freestyle event.

The 200m (heat, semi-final and final) is scheduled before the 100m, but he has not ruled out a possible attack on the longer event in years to come.

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