On this day in 2013: Rebecca Adlington announces her retirement
Adlington was just 23 when she hung up her cap.
Two-time Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington retired from swimming on this day in 2013.
At the age of just 23, Adlington quit having won gold in the 400 and 800 metres at the Beijing Olympics and two bronze medals at the London Games.
She said at the time: “I hate the word retire. I’ll never retire from swimming, it’s something I’ll always love to do. But as an elite athlete I won’t be swimming competitively any more.”
In 2008 she was the queen of the pool and broke the 19-year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800m final to win gold.
She became the first woman to win swimming gold for Great Britain since Anita Lonsbrough in 1960 and the first British swimmer to win more than one gold medal at a single Games since Henry Taylor won three in 1908.
Four years later in London Adlington won bronze in the 400m and 800m.
Along with her Olympic medals, she won two Commonwealth titles and two world titles.
After retirement, Adlington appeared on I’m A Celebrity, finishing sixth in 2013 and was also part of series three of The Jump in 2016 but pulled out after dislocating her shoulder.
At the Rio Games, Adlington was part of the BBC presenting team for the swimming and continued the role at the World Aquatics Championships, the European Championships and last summer’s Games in Tokyo.