Johnson Retires Ahead Of Rio Games

Welsh swimmer Liz Johnson has announced her retirement after an illustrious career in the pool.

The Paralympian won a medal at three consecutive Paralympic Games, having made her debut in Athens in 2004, where she won silver in the 100m breaststroke.

Johnson won gold in the 100m breaststroke in the Beijing Games in 2008 and was the first female in the SB6 category to break the 100 seconds barrier for the 100m breaststroke.

At London 2012, the Newport swimmer – who has cerebral palsy – recorded a season’s best time of 1:40.90 to take the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke (SB6).

She also won four golds and three bronzes at the IPC World Championships in Durban (2006) and Rio de Janeiro (2009).

She had been hoping to make this summer’s Paralympics in Brazil but a hernia operation in December has scuppered her plans.

Johnson, 30, said: “Sport has taught me many life lessons and transferable skills, two of the most important being that timing is everything and that everything happens for a reason.

“It is with these at the forefront of my mind that I make this announcement. In December, I underwent surgery for a hernia repair and unfortunately I ended up being out of training for longer than I had envisaged which resulted in me missing a large portion of the crucial winter workload.

“Since recovering, my team and I have been trying to play catch up but we know my body and we know where I need to be. Unfortunately the trials have simply come too soon.

“I’ve been extremely privileged to be able to do something that I love and compete at the highest level for almost 20 years.

“My involvement in swimming has given me so much and the experiences it has provided me with have been influential in shaping me into the person that I am today.

“I am so grateful for everything that the sport has given me and the opportunities that I have had.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had many brilliant teammates – lots of whom I’ve grown up with, been with through the extreme highs and lows in my life and many who have become lifelong friends – some of the best anyone could ever ask for.

“Swimming has enabled me to travel the world, experiencing different countries and cultures which has helped me grow as a person and an athlete.”

Pippa Briton, chairperson of Disability Sport Wales, said: “To stay at the top for 20 years is just amazing and is testament to her dedication and hard work.

“She is a remarkable athlete who has demonstrated over successive Games the meaning of the term ‘world class’. We are very proud at Disability Sport Wales to have played just a small part in her amazing journey.

“We are excited that she has now joined our Board, bringing with her fresh perspectives both as an elite athlete and as a passionate advocate of sport.”