KEY POINTS:
New Zealand swimmer Liz Coster has joined Helen Norfolk and Dean Kent in retirement.
Coster, who holds four national backstroke and breaststroke records, had been contemplating her future since the Beijing Olympics in August.
"I've decided it's time for me to move on to other things," Coster told Sunday News.
"I'm keen to do my studies so next year I'm doing a post-grad (degree) in commerce.
"I've had a great career with two Olympics and the Commonwealth Games but I've felt like this is the right time for me."
Coster, 26, was a semifinalist in the 100m backstroke at Beijing and finished fifth in the 50m backstroke at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She also competed at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Her personal highlight was at the world championships in Canada three years ago where she qualified for the final in the 50m backstroke.
"That was pretty special for me. To be in the top eight in the world is not too bad an effort. That was a time when I was really improving."
- NZPA
