Goodbye to madam butterfly

Swimming: Australia's dual Olympic butterfly gold medallist Susie O'Neill announced her retirement from international swimming yesterday.

O'Neill made her decision to quit in a Bali hotel pool, ending 12 years of international swimming.

Holidaying with husband Chris, O'Neill said she knew the time had come when she was surrounded by water and didn't have the urge to swim.

"I did a couple of laps in the hotel pool and decided that was it," she said. O'Neill had hinted strongly at retirement after she was relegated to the silver medal by American Misty Hyman in the 200 metres butterfly final at the Sydney Games last September.

O'Neill said she had nothing else to prove in the pool after breaking American Mary T Meagher's 19year-old 200 metres butterfly world record at this year's Australian national trials.

Athletics: Mark Carroll has his first competitive outing since the Sydney Olympics in Connecticut today when he competes in the Manchester Thanksgiving Day Race, one of the top road races in America. It will be his first test since his disappointing elimination in the 5,000 metre heats in Sydney just over two months ago.

The Cork runner has traditionally used the Manchester race to open his season. He won it two years back, and last year finished a close second to Kenya's David Makori. At just under five miles, it is close to ultimate distance and Carroll is eager for a good test of form.

"I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been for this time of year," he said.

With a number of Kenyan and Morrocan entries, Carroll can expect a strong challenge, but he has upped his winter mileage this year in preparation for the cross country season. His Rhode Island training partner and fellow Irishman Donal O'Sullivan is also among the 4,000 entries.

Tennis: Pete Lowther, who has been managing Irish women's tennis teams for almost a decade, is not yet ready to abandon the cause despite a disappointing 3-0 whitewash by Sweden in the European Nations team championship in Bjarred last weekend.

The resilient Lowther has watched his teams lose out in successive years in brave bids to gain promotion from the Euro African Group II of the Fed Cup, but he is now more determined than ever.

Victory over Luxembourg was, in Lowther's opinion, not the only thing to be salvaged from the Nations Cup. "I was pleased with a number of aspects," he said. "Gina (Niland) has returned to something of her best and was very competitive. Happily, Karen (Nugent) showed good form too."

No sooner was the last ball struck against Sweden than Lowther was planning for Fed Cup 2001 in Turkey next May.

Meanwhile, the Ireland men's team to play in the European Nations team championship in Greece starting tomorrow week may be without Scott Barron, who is currently recovering from a leg muscle injury picked up en route to winning the ITF's Futures event in Mississippi recently.