(ConservativeHub.com) – Swim star Cate Campbell will not represent Australia in July at the Summer Olympics in Paris and has revealed she will be retiring from her sport.
The championship swimmer finished seventh place in the 50m freestyle during Australia’s Olympic swimming trials, ending her chance at being part of the country’s Olympic team in July.
The 32-year-old swimmer found herself embroiled in controversy not long ago for comments she made about Team USA after Australia beat them at the 2023 World Championships.
While being interviewed at the time, Campbell reportedly described Team USA as “sore losers” after Australia took a greater number of gold medals at the World Championships.
Campbell suggested she was pleased about “Australia coming out on top,” but said the victory was “so much sweeter” because they had beaten America.
She also said she was “happy” about not hearing the “‘Star Spangled Banner” play during certain nights. She went on to say that if she never again had to hear the song, “it will be too soon.” She concluded by stating, “Bring on Paris,” and telling the U.S. team to “stop being sore losers.”
Campbell’s remarks earned criticism from a number of swimming fans in the US. They also prompted a response from 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps, who suggested he’d “lose it” if someone told him that.
Phelps added that he’d “make them eat every word they just said,” before pointing to the upcoming Paris Olympics, where he noted we’d “be able to see” the coming results.
Had Campbell qualified in the Australian swimming trials, she would have been the first Australian swimmer to compete in five Olympics consecutively.
Speaking to Australia’s Channel 9, the 32-year-old swimmer described the trial results as “bitter-sweet,” saying she had wanted a “fairytale ending,” before revealing she would be stepping away from competitive swimming and “reflect[ing] on a wonderful career.” Campbell also released a separate statement announcing her retirement.
The Olympic swimmer also addressed her viral remarks in the recent interview, stating she couldn’t have guessed her “comments said in jest” would have caused such an uproar, but highlighted that’s what she enjoys about the sport. The “rivalries… get everyone going,” she said, adding that a “bit of trash talk never hurt anyone.”
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