chapman moves onto pool deck

Athens Olympian Lisa Chapman has announced her retirement form swimming at the age of 21. The Loughborough swimmer, who was a member of the British 4x100m freestyle squad at the Olympics and also won silver in the 100IM at the European Short course championships later in the year, cited financial reasons for her decision.
“I struggled to gain funding because of being out of the water at the wrong time – it’s just been a case of bad luck but you get to the point where you have to look ahead.” she said. “I’ve found it difficult to survive and train without an income.”
Chapman had taken time out of the pool in her later teenage years but had made a successful comeback to elite swimming, culminating in her international selection last year. “It’s been a difficult couple of years for me but I stuck to my aim of competing in an Olympic final despite the hardships I suffered,” said Chapman, who lost her father to illness last year.
She will not be lost to the sport however and now intends to pursue a career in coaching.
The announcement is sure to increase the speculation surrounding recent bullying claims against National Performance Director Bill Sweetenham. An inquiry into the claims, made in The Times, is due to report shortly.