Olympic bronze-medalist and 50-meter freestyle national record-holder Sumika Minamoto said Thursday she will retire at the end of the current swimming season.
Minamoto, 22, a member of the Japanese women's 4x100-meter medley relay team that won the bronze at the Sydney Olympics last fall, told reporters of her decision to quit on the final day of the collegiate national championships in Tokyo.
Minamoto, who also became the first Japanese woman to reach the 50- and 100-meter freestyle finals in Sydney, is to embark on a career in television after graduating from Chuo University.