Canadian Mike Mintenko retires from swimming

November 12, 2005

Canadian Olympic swimmer Mike Minenko has announced his official retirement from the sport. Mike finished fifth in his premier event, 100m Butterfly, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won a silver medal in the freestyle relay at this years World Championships.

30 year old Mike, who grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan, currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, American swimmer Lindsay Benko. Nicknamed "The Tank" with a height of 6'3", Mike never forgot his roots and was keen to emphise the importance of his hometown, telling the Canadian media "Small town values are so important"..."The people in a small town...they appreciate you working hard."

In addition to his World Championship medal, Mike holds the 50m and 100m butterfly long course and short course Canadian national records.