Sanders Has Had Enough Competition

Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders says she is through with competitive swimming.

“I’m retired,” she told The Daily Democrat of Woodland, Calif. “I wasn’t loving it anymore.”

Sanders, 21, won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She was a six-time NCAA champion while at Stanford and twice named NCAA Swimmer of the Year.

Mike Hastings, Sanders’ Olympic coach, said it was time for her to move on.

“She’d given the best she could and she couldn’t give anymore,” Hastings said, “She understands all the processes. The reason she retired was that she lost that extra 5% to be competitive (at the international level).”

Sanders told the Daily Democrat she did not want to elaborate about her retirement or “make it a big deal.”

“Just print that I’m retired,” she told the newspaper.

In Barcelona, Sanders won gold medals in the 200-meter butterfly and as an alternate in the 400 medley relay. She won a silver in the 200 individual medley and a bronze in the 400 individual medley.