Two of the senior members of Britain’s team at the Athens Olympics have decided to call time on their swimming careers to pursue other avenues. Nova Centurion’s Adam Faulkner and Stockport Metro’s Adrian Turner have both now hung up their goggles and have retired from swimming.
Faulkner burst onto the international scene at 2000’s Olympic trials as he kept defending Olympic bronze medallist Graeme Smith out of the Sydney team, and has been a fixture in every international squad since. A regular finalist at European and Commonwealth level, the highlight of Adam’s swimming career was the bronze he won as part of the men’s 4x200m freestyle team in Manchester. He will now pursue a career in the armed forces.
Adrian Turner’s fortunes have been truly mixed over the past 5 years. He missed the Sydney Olympics with a serious illness, but fought back to claim silver and bronze medal at the Manchester Commonwealth Game. His aim of making the Athens Olympics was almost derailed by a broken collarbone but once again he fought back and took his place in the team. Adrian is now starting a spell teaching in Italy as his first step away from the pool.