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Poll's New Position Will Not Mark End Of Pool Career

Claudia Poll, the Costa Rican who won the Olympic 200m freestyle crown in 1996, will give birth to her first child this summer but has denied that she will retire as a result.

In answer to a question from SwimNews, Poll said that she is very happy with her personal life and was looking forward to the birth of her child, while adding: "I am absolutely not retiring, it still has never crossed my mind."

Poll's long and distinguished career was blighted by a ban for a positive nandrolone test in 2002. Having argued her innocence from the moment she was informed of the finding, the swimmer continues to fight her corner.

Born in Nicaragua in 1972, Poll followed her family to Costa Rica as a very young girl and became her country's most successful Olympic athlete. At Sydney 2000 she won bronze medals over 200 and 400m freestyle. She had achieved the same third placings at the 1994 world championships in Rome, and at Perth in 1998 claimed the world l/c crown over 200m freestyle.

Her sister Sylvia took silver at the 1988 Olympic Games over 200m freestyle behind East German Heike Friedrich.

Amanda Beard: first results

Olympic champion Amanda Beard already swam two events at the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, California, that starts yesterday. Amanda took the fourth place on 200m medley in 2:20.16. She swam also the 100m breaststroke but only in the heats in 1:11.12.