Okay, I'll try again. Right, have you ever watched X-Factor and a disgruntled contestant says to the judge "I bet I can do a better job than you could!" ?
It's an empty retort, because the judge isn't putting himself up on the stage and professing to be able to sing. He is only judging the auditionee against people of similar "talent"
Same here. When people say "She is a rubbish swimmer" or "He is a rubbish goalkeeper" then the retort is equally pointless, because the person criticising is only gauging performance against other swimmers / goalkeepers, and as such the opinion is valid.
I sort of get what you are saying, but I am still discombobulated.
I was surprised to hear this this morning, considering her age, but I'm just reading her website and it says:
Becky aims to achieve her vision through her 'Becky Adlington's SwimStars' initiative, which she has been working on for the last two years. This will involve establishing her learn to swim programs in leisure centres, hotel pools and school pools across the country.
Becky will soon be a fully qualified Level 1 and 2 swimming teacher
Probably achieved more then you'll ever make in your existence
See, Rebecca Adlington aside (I have no idea what her none-swimming achievements are), I HATE that attitude being batted around about sportspeople.
I have achieved a fair few things so far at the age of 24, both socially, career-based and in terms of charity work. Thousands of people do very laudable work every day, but noone is going to sit around allocating medals for what people do because watching me do something very fast at a computer wouldn't be very interesting.
Just because what she does is public doesn't make it more of an achievement (though as I say, I imagine she does a fair bit of worthwhile work herself).
See, Rebecca Adlington aside (I have no idea what her none-swimming achievements are), I HATE that attitude being batted around about sportspeople.
I have achieved a fair few things so far at the age of 24, both socially, career-based and in terms of charity work. Thousands of people do very laudable work every day, but noone is going to sit around allocating medals for what people do because watching me do something very fast at a computer wouldn't be very interesting.
Just because what she does is public doesn't make it more of an achievement (though as I say, I imagine she does a fair bit of worthwhile work herself).
Not belittling what you do, or indeed what I have done, but I bet she has put in more hours for her skill than we have combined for ours, considering it is likely she has been swimming competitively since before she was 10.
But how many girls/women in RA's particular range of womens' events?
A handful. I don't know off hand. Carlin, Faulkner, and a few others. But you to need to realise it's based on their standard of performance not on a set number of swimmers in a given discipline. If they can swim internationally competitive times they will receive funding. The retirement of Adlington doesn't change the funding dispensation to specific athletes. Last year many male British breaststrokers received funding because we are deep in Men's Breaststroke. Fewer on the women's side because we have little depth there. Though hopefully young Renshaw can kick start our female breastrokers.
It was inevitable that she was going to retire, especially as her 800m World record was nearly broken by a 15 year old at last years Olympics. She has been a great ambassador for British swimming and good luck to her.
I si true she has got engaged ? well if she hasnt . i have a feeling she not haveing any problems finding a very suitable guy. she may not be the most beautiful 23 year old in the world but she is a hero to me. and a lovely young lady. By the way my son is 23 also and avalible
Aka, is past her prime. She can't compete with the elite any more so rather than carry on investing a huge amount of time and effort being an also ran, retire as an Olympic medal winner rather than fail to achieve the levels reached at her peak.
Better to go out on top (albeit with a bronze rather than a gold) than desperately trying to cling onto past glories.
Alternatively she could try training harder, use a different coach, tweak her diet to try and be competitive on the world stage again, but perhaps she's already done that and realised her best isn't good enough any more.
I'd love to have been in her situation - be able to retire at only 23 being a World and Olympic champion.
I wish her success in whatever she chooses to do with the rest of her life.
By the next Olympics she'll be 27/28 and while that's still a spring chicken in real life, in the sporting world that's getting on a bit. She'd be competing against folk 10 years younger and at their physical peak.
She was not good enough, its like any job, if you can not hack it you have to leave and do something else.
She deserves credit for being honest about her peak having passed. She has more than paid her dues and more than added her name to the British swimming and Olympic history books.
She was not good enough, its like any job, if you can not hack it you have to leave and do something else.
I hope you're just trying to wind us up. If not I can't quite see how you think 'not good enough' equates to winning an Olympic gold a few years back...
“I could never find two people who are perfectly equal: one will always be more valuable than the other. And many people, as a matter of fact, simply have no value.”
in your prime before 23? Suggests you were never in your prime if you manage two olympics and then retire. Strikes me as strange. Micheal Phelps kept going for longer and actually kept winning. It just strikes me as a cop out.
michael phelps is probably the best swimmer ever and he retired at 27 you can see that he was at his peak with 8 golds in 2008 and was in decline with 4 golds and 2 silver in 2012
michael phelps is probably the best swimmer ever and he retired at 27 you can see that he was at his peak with 8 golds in 2008 and was in decline with 4 golds and 2 silver in 2012
Comments
thats so mean........:D
I sort of get what you are saying, but I am still discombobulated.
Good for her.
See, Rebecca Adlington aside (I have no idea what her none-swimming achievements are), I HATE that attitude being batted around about sportspeople.
I have achieved a fair few things so far at the age of 24, both socially, career-based and in terms of charity work. Thousands of people do very laudable work every day, but noone is going to sit around allocating medals for what people do because watching me do something very fast at a computer wouldn't be very interesting.
Just because what she does is public doesn't make it more of an achievement (though as I say, I imagine she does a fair bit of worthwhile work herself).
Not belittling what you do, or indeed what I have done, but I bet she has put in more hours for her skill than we have combined for ours, considering it is likely she has been swimming competitively since before she was 10.
A handful. I don't know off hand. Carlin, Faulkner, and a few others. But you to need to realise it's based on their standard of performance not on a set number of swimmers in a given discipline. If they can swim internationally competitive times they will receive funding. The retirement of Adlington doesn't change the funding dispensation to specific athletes. Last year many male British breaststrokers received funding because we are deep in Men's Breaststroke. Fewer on the women's side because we have little depth there. Though hopefully young Renshaw can kick start our female breastrokers.
Of course it doesn't; those who are competitive and are expected to be will still receive funding...
BUT - are you really saying that RA's retirement doesn't free up her funding? Especially in an area where you say we're weak?...
...NO up and coming young talent to be brought on then? Noone on the radar at all??
This.
She wants to go into coaching.
I think she's earned it.
She'd be 27 by the next Olympics and she was beaten by a 15 year old in last year's Olympics.
She has brought a lot of attention to the swimming which wasn't there before - all credit to her.
She deserves credit for being honest about her peak having passed. She has more than paid her dues and more than added her name to the British swimming and Olympic history books.
I have nothing but respect for her.
I hope you're just trying to wind us up. If not I can't quite see how you think 'not good enough' equates to winning an Olympic gold a few years back...
― Pentti Linkola
michael phelps is probably the best swimmer ever and he retired at 27 you can see that he was at his peak with 8 golds in 2008 and was in decline with 4 golds and 2 silver in 2012
yes at the european and commonwealth games how many olympic and world medals has she got? 1 silver
rebecca adlington won 7 golds, 3 silvers and 7 bronzes with 4 golds at world level, sharron davies won zero golds at world level
And phelps was a sprinter.