Winchester'S Glenn Hudson has retired from international swimming - for a career in the Royal Marines.

Hudson, 21, a top-flight international freestyler who was expected to challenge for an Olympic place in Britain's Sydney 2000 team, had his last high-level swim for Portsmouth Northsea last month at the Speedo League national final.

Hudson has already passed several stages of the Marines' gruelling selection process. Only one final stage, in June, lies between him and the RM's notorious 32-week basic training.

He describes himself as "semi-retired", adding: "I'm finished with international level swimming - I don't expect to get back to that level. But the Marines are very supportive of your sport and I'll hopefully swim in inter-services competitions for them.

"It was hard to retire with Sydney so close but I've always said I have to be giving 100 per cent - and I wasn't in my swimming.

"I was going through the motions a bit - and that's not fair on myself or on the people I'm training with."

Coach Chris Nesbit, himself an ex-Marine, agrees Hudson has made the right choice.

He said: "Glenn's had a great career. He had an operation last year and could have trained through to the next Olympics but this opportunity has come up and he's decided to take it. It's the right decision."

The highpoints of Hudson's international career include third place in the 1996 Olympic trials - he just missed selection for Atlanta, but it marked his breakthrough to international class.

Since then, he's been ranked in the top 40 in the world and made the 1997 GB team for the European Championships in Seville.

Last year, he swam for Britain in the European short-course championships but he said: "It's hard to pick highlights, because I've enjoyed it all.

"I've travelled the world with the national team and got to see many things I wouldn't otherwise have done. But, at 21, I'm at the stage where I've got make an investment in myself."

Now he's made his decision to retire after 12 years of hard work in the pool, Hudson's full of enthusiasm for the career that hopefully lies ahead.

He explained: "The Marines is something I've wanted to do for a while. It's not easy."

Basic training ends with a test week that includes a 30-mile trek across Dartmoor, and the difficulty is clearly part of the attraction.

He's signed on for the full 22 years and, while he could come out after three or four, he's adamant he's looking at it as a career and not a short-term option.

It's hard to believe that we've seen the last of such a quality athlete. Both Marines and top swimmers have gone on to make the grade in triathlon - and Hudson says he fancies that idea, too.

He has just turned out again for hometown club Winchester City Penguins but swimming's loss is certainly the Marines' gain.

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