PHOENIX, Arizona, February 8. AUSTRALIAN sprinter Ashley Callus has announced that he is retiring from swimming just five weeks before the Australian Olympic Trials.
Callus was part of the most popular sporting moment in Australian history, swimming the third leg of the winning 400 free relay at the Sydney Olympics. After that, Callus competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, placing fourth in the 50 free in Beijing and swimming on the third leg again of the 400 free relay, which finished third. Callus continued to swim in 2009 and 2010, and his final major international race was the semifinals of the 50 free at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where he was disqualified. Had Callus made the 2012 Olympic team, he would have been the first Australian swimmer to compete in four Olympics, and would have been 33 years old when he did it. Callus still holds the Commonwealth and Australian national records in the long course 50 free with a 21.19.