Australian superstar Libby Trickett, who swam under the name Libby Lenton prior to her marriage in 2007, has officially announced that she is coming out of retirement.
This is a move that Trickett has been considering since Swimming Australia announced that Leigh Nugent had been promoted to coach Australia’s Senior National Team.
In the end, Trickett took a path that many world-class swimmers have opted for. Her “break” after the 2009 World Championships became a retirement in December. At only 25 years old, however, Trickett will still be more than able to compete. While historically, a woman’s swimming career was over in their early 20’s, swimmers like Natalie Coughlin, who recently won gold in the 100 free at Pan-Pacs at 27, have shown that swimmers can extend their careers well beyond that point.
Trickett seemed to become disenchanted with the sport in 2009, where polyurethane super-suits took over and smashed world records. Trickett held 3 individual world records headed into the 2008 Olympics, all of which have since been broken. Trickett steadfastly refused to wear the polyurethane suits, even when her competitors were.
But now, back in textile, Trickett is again hoping to compete for Olympic gold in London in 2012. In her illustrious career, Trickett has won 15 World Championships (8 LC, 7 SC), and 3 Olympic golds as a sprint butterflier and freestyler.
