Michael decides to retire aged 28
OLYMPIC silvermedallist Michael Jamieson has retired from competitive swimming.
The Scots swimmer claimed a silver medal in the 200metres breaststroke at the London 2012 Olympics. He did not make the 2016 Rio Olympics, and has now called time on his career at the age of 28.
An announcement from Scottish Swimming confirming that Jamieson had retired came on the same day as an interview with him was published in which he opened up on the brutal training regime that led to a battle with depression.
As he pushed his body to its limit in the pursuit of glory after London 2012, his heart went into arrhythmia and he was taken to hospital.
Jamieson admitted he was chasing a feeling of “being utterly dead on your feet”.
“Towards the end of 2013 there were a few weeks where I didn’t even go to training,’’ he said. “I just kind of sat down and started asking questions, like ‘What am I doing here? All I have to show for 20 years of work is a medal. What does that mean?’
“Over time I guess it got a bit deeper than that, ‘Whose lives am I enriching by doing what I’m doing? What am I offering here as a person? Who’s benefiting from me being here?’
“When it got to that level I knew I needed to get help. From that point it just unravelled a bit.
“There were weeks I couldn’t go out. I was living on a diet of anti-depressants and sleeping pills, and just even more destructive behaviour.
“Not speaking to anyone, completely closed off. I kept having these recurring dreams that I was walking off a building. It was then I knew it was getting quite serious.”