Swim: Retirement not on Thomas' plans - yet
By Laine Clark
MANCHESTER, Aug 2 AAP - Petria Thomas is toying with retirement even as she enjoysthe greatest success of her illustrious swimming career.
After years of watching Susie O'Neill re-write the record books, Thomas, 25, has steppedinto the limeight in the two years since her former rivals retirement, forging a formidablerecord of her own.
Last year's world championship 100m and 200m butterfly titles were followed by an historicthird consecutive Commonwealth Games 100m fly title tonight.
Thomas achieved a career goal when she joined only fellow Australian Michael Wendenin the elite Commonwealth "three-peat" class.
But no sooner had she done it than Thomas admitted she was unsure how much longer shewould go on and retirement was a possibility.
"It's certainly something that I will be thinking about," said Thomas.
"I am getting to the age now where I've got to make some decisions on whether I wantto keep going or whether I want to think about life after swimming."
"I am going to enjoy racing the rest of this meet, then Pan Pacs (in Japan this month)and have a bit of time off to think about what I am going to do.
"To win three straight gold medals, it hasn't really sunk in yet but it's a great feeling.
I am sure it will take a while to realise what I have done."
Despite downing O'Neill to claim her first two 100m butterfly Commonwealth golds, Thomassaid she felt she had finally stepped out of her great rival's shadow after her record-breakingvictory in Manchester.
"Susie's retired now and she had a great career. I was very privileged to swim nextto her for a number of years and I learned a lot from her," said Thomas who won gold in58.57 seconds ahead of South African Mandy Loots (59.68) and Canadian Jennifer Button(1:00.22).
"But she's gone now and it was time for me to step up and show what I could do. I hopeI have done that reasonably successfully."
Thomas said she still had plenty to achieve before finally hanging up the goggles,starting with claiming an event still missing from her resume - 100m butterfly gold atthe Pan Pacific Championships which start in Yokohama later this month.
"And there's still the world record (held by Holland's Inge De Bruijn) but they arethings I am not thinking of, I think when you get too consumed by things like that youend up never achieving them," she said.
"If it comes, great, but I'm not saying 'I'm not going to retire until I get those',it's not that sort of focus for me, just enjoying what I do, that's how I get the bestout of myself."
But Thomas admitted Australian swimming, particularly the butterfly, would be in safehands if she walked away.
"It's probably the best it has been for a few years now, with younger people comingthrough, it's really great to see, it's encouraging for me and Australian swimming," shesaid, noting teammate Rachel Coffee who finished seventh in the 100m butterfly final.
While butterfly stocks are up, there has been a drought in Australian women long distanceswimmers since the Hayley Lewis hey day - until now.
Sydney's Amanda Pascoe, 17, emerged as a star of the future after clocking a personalbest eight minutes, 34.19 seconds behind 800m gold medallist, England's Rebecca Cooke(8:28.54) while Janelle Atkinson claimed Barbados' first Commonwealth swimming medal withbronze.
"The reason I took up the long distances is I can't sprint to save myself, there wasan opening there and an opportunity for someone to step up and grab it," said Pascoe whowill contest the 400m, 800m and 1,500m at this month's Pan Pacs.
"There's been a bit of a drought (of Australian long distance swimmers). They are hardevents and not many people want to do the training that is involved, it is hard but someonehas to do it."
AAP lc/nh
KEYWORD: GAMES SWIM WOMEN
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