Australian Olympic Gold Medalist Ashley Callus Retires

BRISBANE, Australia, February 8. ASHLEY Callus, an Olympic gold medalist as part of Australia's winning 400 freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has announced his retirement from the sport of swimming according to the Courier-Mail.

Callus had been aiming to become the first Australian to swim in four Olympic Games, but has decided to call it a career at the age of 32.

"I've been to three Olympics, I have nothing more to prove to myself. The last thing I wanted to do at the age of 33 then is go (to trials) and make up the numbers," Callus told the Courier-Mail. "The fourth Olympics might be history making but at the end of the day if you had said to me when I was 17 years of age that you'd swim at four Commonwealth Games, win medals, three Olympics and win one gold medal and a bronze, and be very competitive in your events, I would have said you're kidding. That is what I've achieved and I'm totally satisfied with what I've achieved. A fourth Olympics would have been great but when are you completely satisfied? I've come to realize that with three Olympics I am."

Callus also won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of Australia's 400 free relay, and won world titles at the 2001 World Long Course Championships on the 400 free and 400 medley relays, and took home short course world titles from the 2002 (100 free) and 2006 (400 medley relay) championships.

Full text of Courier-Mail article.

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