Mike Brown of Canada celebrates after winning his men's 200m breaststroke swimming semifinal at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 13, 2008.KAI PFAFFENBACH/Reuters
Canadian swimmer Mike Brown has decided to return to competition more than a year after announcing his retirement.
The two-time Olympian from Perth, Ont., who announced he was leaving the sport in May 2009, hopes to swim for Canada at the 2012 Summer Games in London.
"I have decided to make a comeback into the swimming world and train for the upcoming world championships and Olympic Games," Brown said Wednesday in a statement. "I know my body can continue and now with having a mental break (after the Beijing Olympics) I know my mind can do it too."
Brown, 26, spent eight years on the national team where his specialty was the 200-metre breaststroke. He holds the Canadian record in the event at 2:08.84, which he set in a fourth-place finish at the Beijing Olympics.
"After retiring, I came to realize how amazing life as a swimmer on the national team was and how much I missed the competition," said Brown, who has been working at a commercial real estate company in Calgary.
"I have since worked in a corporate office and realized that I will have the opportunity to pursue a business career any time but being a world class athlete has a time frame attached to it," he added. "Having an opportunity to represent Canada at a third Olympics and having another shot at the podium is an opportunity I can't pass up."
Brown will remain in Calgary and train with coach Jan Bidrman at the Calgary High Performance Academy.
Brown's decision comes after four-time Olympic champion breaststroker Kosuke Kitajima decided to return to competitive swimming.
"I am glad he has returned to racing," Brown said. "It just adds to the competitiveness and depth of the field at the Games. I've always wanted to be the best and to be the best you have to race the best."