2002 Commonwealth champion over 200m freestyle, Karen Pickering has confirmed what many have suspected for sometime, as she announced her retirement from international swimming. The 33-year-old, who became Britain’s first female world champion when she won the 200m freestyle at the global short-course event in 1993, should make a farewell appearance at the Commonwealth Trials in Sheffield next week, where she is slated to swim the 50m freestyle.
Pickering had her last outing with the national team at the Athens Olympics, where she raced in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay and was a key member of the 4 x 200m squad where she posted the fastest split of the quartet to help them to 5th spot. The Ipswich swimmer has been a stalwart member of the national team for 15 years, having made her senior international debut in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, during which period has been an integral part of the relay squad, gaining a reputation as an inspired anchor leg swimmer. She has been a wonderful servant to British swimming and will be sorely missed.