Japan’s Tajima, 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist, Retires
By Hideki Mochizuki
TOKYO, July 4. YASUKO TAJIMA, 20, silver medalist in the 400 IM at the 2000 Olympic Games in a national record 4:35.96, has decided to retire from competitive swimming.
Tajima has been taking a break since the Olympics, but at the end of June she asked the Japanese federation to drop her name from thw list of registered athletes.
Swiminfo has learned that Tajima, who was bitterfly disappointed with not winning Olympic gold, has also quit her university swimming team.
Tajima's time in Sydney was the third fastest of all time. Only Yana Klochkova's world record winning time in Sydney (4:33.59) and China's Chen Yan's 4:34.79 from 1997 are faster. However, most observers discount Chen's swim as chemically-assisted.
Tajima told swiminfo she hopes to work in the television industry now that she has hung up her Speedo.