Ellen Gandy switch allegiance to Australia – Swimming News
The 200m butterfly specialist, Ellen Gandy, who was the prime hope for winning gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, has unveiled her desire of switching allegiance to Australia, as she looks forward to compete in her potentially third Olympic Games
in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Gandy was one of the most prominent swimmers of the British team to outshine at the home Olympics, but unfortunately, she was unable to live up to the expectations of her fans as she was unable to qualify for the semi-finals.
Being disappointed with her performance at the London Games, the 21-year-old Gandy told The Australian that she is looking for a more balanced lifestyle and thus, would represent Australia at the elite levels of swimming.
Previously, Gandy spent five years in Australia with her parents, who came here to work. She won the silver medal of the 200m butterfly at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai and was expected to crush her opponents at the Olympic stage, but failed.
While talking to the media about her decision, she said, “It started with the Olympics. I was really disappointed with my performance. I stumbled at the last hurdle, which was devastating because I had high hopes. I really thought my swimming career could
be over after that.”
“The last five years (living in Australia but competing for Britain) have been really, really difficult, especially the travelling. A lot of the time I felt like I was in limbo because I didn't feel Australian but I didn't really feel British either because
I wasn't there all the time,” Gandy added.
Gandy, who had represented Britain at the international stages of Commonwealth, European and World Championships, was pretty confident about her decision.
The swimmer further added that her Coach Rohan Taylor, helped in clearing her mind and she finally took the decision. She told that moving back and forth from Australia to Great Britain was quite hectic at times, plus she was unable to focus on her studies
properly.
Gandy has filed the necessary documents to attain Australian Citizenship. Not to mention, if approved, she would have to part ways from the competitive swimmer for almost a year and will then represent Australia in 2014.
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