US swimming Olympic champ Soni retires

WASHINGTON, January - American swimming Olympic champion Rebecca Soni retired Thursday. The 26-year-old plans to live a new lifestyle.

"I know I've conquered my goals in the pool, and now it's time to conquer something else," she said.

The breaststroke specialist won the 200m gold at the last two Olympics  while taking back-to-back silvers in the 100 breast. She also was part of medley relay teams that won gold in Beijing and the silver in London.

She set a world record of two minutes 19.59 in 200m breast at London, but the mark was broken at last year's Barcelona Worlds by Rikke Pedersen of Denmark.

"Achieving my dream of going below 2 minutes and 20 seconds in the 200m breaststroke really put the storybook ending on my career," Soni said.

Soni will launch a new company with another swimmer Ariana Kukors.