Olympian Paige Madden Reveals Break from Sport; Not Ruling Out LA28
The bronze medalist in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, American Paige Madden took to social media on Friday to announce that she will not compete at the upcoming United States National Championships. Madden shared the news via her Instagram account, and the announcement was hardly a surprise, since Madden has not been racing in recent months.
In her social-media post, Madden indicated that she is prioritizing family and her pursuit of a career in the healthcare field. However, she noted that she has not closed the door on the possibility of competing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, which will mark the first time the Summer Games have been held in the United States since Atlanta served as host in 1996.
En route to the bronze medal in the 800 freestyle in Paris, Madden posted a career-best time of 8:13.00 and became the fourth-fastest performer in the history of the event. The former University of Virginia star is a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 800 freestyle relay and owns three career medals from the World Short Course Championships, including a bronze medal in the 200 freestyle from 2021.