Portuguese Olympian Tamila Holub, 26, announced her retirement from competitive swimming, citing a “complicated relationship” with the sport and a feeling of giving too much without receiving adequate return since the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Holub, a long-distance specialist, made the announcement in a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday, confirming a decision she had paused for over a year. She stated that the emotional toll of elite competition became unbearable.
“I simply gave too much of myself for those Olympic Games and, as it seemed to me, I received little in return,” Holub wrote. “I tried to work on it, but deep down, I understand that I was hurt and couldn’t fully overcome it, and that was reflected in a new cycle.”
The Ukrainian-born swimmer represented Portugal at two Olympic Games, first in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 where she placed 24th in the 800-meter freestyle. At Tokyo 2020, she finished 22nd in the 1500 freestyle and 25th in the 800 freestyle.
Holub expressed that she no longer possessed the “same energy, the same dedication, nor the same love for swimming.” She added, “Swimming rarely ‘forgives.’ It’s a passion that demands 100% of you, and unfortunately, I no longer had the physical or psychological capacity to continue suffering for it.”
She confessed to ending the 2024 season “feeling hatred for what I once loved so much.” This extended beyond swimming itself to “practically everything somehow connected to it.”
This sentiment led her to take an initial break, seeking time and distance to “get my head above water” and find new motivation. She noted that while she eventually reconciled with the sport, she could not reconcile with the demands of competition.
Holub, a junior European champion in the 1500-meter freestyle in 2016, concluded her message by thanking her former club, coaches, the Portuguese Olympic Committee, the Portuguese Swimming Federation, national team colleagues, friends, and the Olympic Athletes Commission, where she currently serves. She did not qualify for the upcoming Paris 2024 Games.