Australian Olympic gold medalist Chelsea Hodges announces surprise retirement

In a surprising turn of events on the Australian swimming front, 22-year-old Chelsea Hodges announced her retirement from competitive swimming just over 60 days before the 2024 Olympics.

The breaststroker who helped Australia win gold in the 4x100m medley relay at the Tokyo 2020 Games revealed her decision via Instagram on May 24.

“Thank you Swimming. It is with a very heavy heart that I announce my retirement from competitive swimming.

“It has been a difficult 18 months and retiring now is not how I hoped this chapter of my life would end, but I believe I made the right decision.

“Swimming has given me so much in my life and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people, experiences and memories I have for a lifetime because of this sport.

Hodges continued: “I had to make the decision to retire or ruin my chances of being as fit and healthy as I would like to be in my future. Ultimately, I have to do what’s best for my future and listen to what my body is desperately trying to tell me.

“I am fortunate to have the best support team who helped me make this decision as well as the best support network within my family and friends.

“I wouldn’t have had the career I’m so proud of without my coach of 15 years @beswimcoaching @southportolympicswimclub, my family and my most supportive person @nicroselt. I couldn’t express my gratitude more to @finisaustralia @finisswim and @lskd for their support throughout this journey and how they continue to support my life journey.

Hodges missed the 2023 championships season, withdrawing from the Australian Championships, Australian Trials and World Championships in Fukuoka after undergoing surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right hip.

It was a disappointing turnaround after a promising 2022, the year Hodges broke the Australian 50 breaststroke record at the Australian Trials with a 30.15 before lowering that mark to 30.05 at the Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze.

She then helped the Australian 200m medley relay team break the world record (1:43.35) at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne.

Hodges made her post-surgery debut in October last year at the national swimming championships, where the Southport Olympic Swim Club swimmer clocked 31.45 in the 50m breaststroke and 1:08.80 in the 100m.

She was entered in the Australian Open championships last month, but ultimately did not compete, a sign that something was not going as planned.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Hodges said of his withdrawal from competition: “I went home and cried for several hours. I think I knew my swim was over.

“Having pain all the time is very tiring. You are mentally and physically exhausted. I just wanted the pain to stop. It feels like someone is crushing your bones every time you move and drilling a hole in your leg.

“Once it started hurting again, I think I knew deep down that Paris wasn’t going to happen. I’m not thrilled about having to retire…but once I knew what my life would be like if I continued, it was an easy decision.

The situation reared its ugly head at last year’s Japan Open, where Hodges reportedly limped to the blocks.

“In December, my surgeon told me I only had a limited number of breaststroke strokes left. I had damaged my femur. I had to make sure my breaststroke lasted all the way to Paris. Unfortunately, I used up all of those kicks. (SMH)

Hodges Dolphins Teammate Jenna Strauch also suffered an injury last year, which created a big hole in the breaststroke discipline for the country.

15 years Sienna Toohey made progress and even Kaylee McKeownThe name had been launched to replace breaststroke. Pillar Harkin Abbey is still part of Australia’s arsenal, so we’ll see how things pan out at next month’s Olympic trials.