2016 Olympic silver medalist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor has announced her retirement from competitive swimming. O’Connor announced the news via Twitter, writing that “it’s been a massive rollercoaster of emotions writing this. Today, after 11 wonderful years in the sport, I am announcing my retirement from competitive swimming.”
Her last official racing came in November in Budapest in the International Swimming League “bubble” where she represented the London Roar. She tied for 157th in the league last season in MVP scoring.
2/2❤️ pic.twitter.com/9fFtCglec7
— Siobhan-Marie O'Connor (@SiobhanMOConnor) June 16, 2021
Her announcement of retirement comes a few after she decided to pull out of the 2021 British Swimming Trials due to ulcerative colitis, an illness with which she was diagnosed back in 2012. At the time, O’Connor shared the following remarks:
“Since the last few months of 202, I have been unable to train for a consistent and sustained period. Despite my very best efforts to do so, and all that I have done to help facilitate this, unfortunately, things have not gone the way that I had hoped and anticipated. Sadly, this means that I’m not in a position to compete at next week’s British Swimming Championships.”
O’Connor raced for Great Britain at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and at the latter won a silver medal in the women’s 200 IM with a 2:06.88 to Katinka Hosszu‘s 2:06.58. That 2:06.88 from O’Connor still stands today as the British record in the event.
O’Connor was also a member of the British mixed 4×100 medley relay at the 2015 World Championships that won gold in world record time. O’Connor swam the butterfly leg along with backstroker Chris Walker-Hebborn, breaststroker Adam Peaty, and freestyler Fran Halsall.
Along with that World Championships relay medal in 2015, O’Connor also picked up 200 IM bronze with a 2:08.77 behind Hosszu’s 2:06.12 and Kanako Watanabe‘s 2:08.45.
Throughout her career, she has also collected 3 short course World Championships medals, 4 long course European Championships medals, 4 short course European Championships medals, and 9 Commonwealth Games medals.
Congrats on the retirement!
Am I misinterpreting something or did she only swim for two years before qualifying to swim at London 2012?
UC can be a really horrible condition and I was always so impressed how she was at the highest level of her sport for so long despite it.
The most gifted female British swimmer in history. This is up there with Fran Halsall for retirements that hurt the most as a British swimming fan. Siobhan was mesmerising 2014-2016, happy retirement.
Super underrated due to Katinkas success. What an amazing career!
That 2:06 in Rio will forever be legendary. I remember in 2014-16 when she was the jack of all trades for team GB – 53/1:55 in the freestyles, 1:06 in the 100br, 57 in the 100fly. Happy retirement SMOC!
I thought she was going to beat Hozzsu in the last 25m but she didn’t quite get there. 5 years later we are still waiting for the next 2:06.
Alex Walsh will get there soon