SPRINTER CHAPMAN LOOKS TO COACHING
Olympian Lisa Chapman is to retire from swimming but plans
to stay in the sport and is looking at transferring her skills
to a coaching role.
The current European (25m) 100m Individual Medley silver
medallist comes from Hastings but has spent the past three
years in Loughborough, Leicestershire where she trained under
Ian Armiger at the University pool.
"It's been a difficult couple of years for me but I
stuck to my aim of competing in an Olympic final despite the
hardships I suffered," said Chapman, 21.
"I lost my dad through illness last year and I've found
it difficult to survive and train without an income. I struggled
to gain funding because of being out of the water at the wrong
time - it's just been a case of bad luck but you get to the
point where you have to look ahead."
At the Athens Olympics the Freestyle sprinter swam in the
final of the 4x100m Freestyle where the British quartet finished
sixth. She followed this up with a second place in Vienna
last year at the European Championships (25m).
Chapman plans to remain in the sport and is looking at a
coaching qualification to help realise a new dream.
"I will be looking at coaching as I want to stay involved
in swimming. It seems like a natural progression to me and
is something I'm looking forward to."
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