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Triple Olympic swimming champion Hoogenband retires

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-08 17:11

BRUSSELS -- Triple Olympic swimming champion Pieter van de Hoogenband has announced his official retirement from the sport on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Dutchman announced his retirement in front of a 2000-strong crowd attending a swimming meeting in Eindhoven. His former rival Ian Thorpe was among the attendance.

Applauded by the crowd and given an emotional standing ovation, van den Hoogenband, also known as "VDH", kept to his promise of ending his career on December 7.

"I competed for the last time in Beijing (at the Olympics) but I didn't want to leave you all before saying goodbye and, above all, thank you," said Hoogenband, after receiving plaudits from the city's mayor and the Dutch swimming federation president.