Australian Nick D’Arcy has had a swimming career plagued by controversy and today decided that it was time to declare that swimming career would come to end.
“I still enjoy it,” D’Arcy told ABC News.
“I still love watching it and I still love being a part of it but it’s one of those things it’s either all or nothing and I’ve gotten to a point now where I need to start moving on with my life in a more career-orientated academic direction.”
D’Arcy showed great promise and talent setting the Australian record in the 200 butterfly at the 2008 Olympic Trials, earning a silver medal at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships and qualifying for the London Olympic team in 2012.
All the promise and talent in the world could not save D’Arcy from his own self destructive behaviour, which was exemplified by his assault on fellow Australian swimmer Simon Cowley in March of 2008. A crime that resulted in him being kicked off the 2008 Australian Olympic Team, a suspended jail sentence and a civil case that ultimately caused the swimmer to declare bankruptcy after he was unable to pay Cowley the $180,000 that he was awarded.
In 2012 D’Arcy once again showed extremely bad judgement posing for a photo with fellow Australian Olympian Kenrick Monk at a gun shop in the United States holding firearms. A photo that Monk posted on his Facebook page.
Because of this the two were sent home immediately after their Olympic events were finished.
“Obviously there would a be a few things that I would have done differently but yeah I think hindsight’s always 20/20 and unfortunately there’s no point in looking back. So to me it’s just looking on to the future,” D’Arcy told ABC News.
His name tells me something ! that seems all i know and remember from this swimmer .
Holding guns in a gun shop…sounds like a serious issue.
eh, I think it is cultural. If it was Americans doing that it’s not a big deal. Just like if an 18 year old Olympic swimmer for the USA posted facebook pictures drinking in a bar it would be a much bigger deal here than if it was a European Olympian doing the same thing.
Good riddance, Nick.
There was nothing wrong about that gun photo.