Great Britain’s David Carry, after taking two months to mull the decision over, has opted for retirement on today, October 8th, his 31st birthday. That concludes a decade in elite swimming where he won 5 commonwealth gold medals for his native Scotland.
Carry first broke through in 2002, where he qualified for the Commonwealth Games, and then took his next big step at the same event in 2006, where he won gold in both the 400 free and the 400 IM.
Carry was an example of longevity, having peaked really at his last Games in front of a home crowd in London. He swam a personal best of 3:46.86 at his final british Olympic Trials to make the Olympic Team, and then followed that by sneaking into the Olympic final, placing 7th, and ultimately having his swan-song on swimming’s biggest stage.
“After 10 years in the sport, I am thrilled with how I performed at the Olympics – it was a fitting end to my career,” said Carry of his final swim. “To swim so well in my last competition was fantastic but it’s now time for a new chapter in my life.
Carry is married to open water swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, who was the 2009 and 2011 World Champion in the 10km swim and the 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the same.
The Scot’s involvement in swimming will still be strong. “I will be part of the team who deliver high performance experiences where sports and business come together to get the best out of their environments,” Carry said of his future endeavors.
“David has been a superb role model for youngsters for many years,” Performance Director of Scottish Swimming Ally Whike added in praise. “Following his golden achievements in Melbourne in 2006, he has shown real fighting spirit and dogged determination to maintain his place amongst the GB swimming elite culminating in a great individual performance during London 2012.”
