Triin Aljand, One-Time Almost NCAA Record Holder, Retires From Swimming

Former Texas A&M All-American Triin Aljand has announced her retirement from swimming at a press conference on Wednesday at 28 years old.

“The decision did not come easily. Considering that in the last few years I have had very many injuries, I arrived at an understanding that my body can no longer tolerate it,” Aljand said of her decision.

She was referencing two separate surgeries this year alone on the bones in her feet. Her next step will be a coaching gig in Turkey.

Aljand is a huge celebrity in her native Estonia, and is a part of a veritable Baltic swimming dynasty. Her father Riho is a swim coach, and her grandmother Ulvi Voog was a 1960 Olympian and part of a silver-medal winning Estonian medley relay at the 1958 European Championships.

Triin’s brother, Martti, was an All-American at Cal, and holds the men’s 100 breaststroke National Record. Her twin sister Berit swam at LSU.

Triin, for her own sake, holds 9 Estonian Records between short course and long course. She is best known as a powerful speed swimmer, and won the silver medal in the 50 fly at the 2012 European Long Course Championships, and a total of four career medals at the European Short Course Championships.

In the United States, she is perhaps best known infamously for having broken the NCAA Record in the 50 yard free at her home pool  in November of 2008 with a 21.61 (her first time under 22 seconds), but the record was disallowed after the pool was measured to be just 74 feet, 10 and 7/8 inches.

Aljand will join her (fiance, was the last we heard?) Peter Mankoc in Ankara, where he has taken a job. Completing the ‘power couple,’ Mankoc, a former Slovenian police officer, has been to 5 Olympic Games himself, has won three World Championships in short course, and is a former 100 IM World Record holder. Added to Aljand’s 3 Olympic appearances, the couple and coworkers now have 8 Olympic appearances on their bios.

Aljand was most recently 19th at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 50 free – her highest ever Olympic finish.