From opposite ends of the continent, two of Europe's biggest female stars took divergent paths in their swimming futures this week.

Sweden's Emma Igelstrom announced this week that she is returning to the pool after a battle with bulimia. Arguably Europe's premier female breaststroker, the 24-year old Igelstrom is the continental recordholder in the long course 100m breaststroke, as well as the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststrokes short course.

In the first phase of her career, Igelstrom won three golds at the 2002 World Short Course Championships, taking the 50m and 100m breaststrokes in world record time, notching a silver in the 200m breast, and spearheading the Swedish women's win of the 400m medley relay in world record time.

Igelstrom retired from swimming temporarily in 2003 after realizing that she would not be able to fight her eating disorder alone. Through the support of doctors, friends, and family, Igelstrom will return to the pool to begin training in Goteborg shortly.

Drawing comparisons to another Eastern European backstroke phenom, 16-year old Romanian wunderkind Diana Mocanu took the world by storm in 2000, winning both dorsal races at Sydney. Her time in the 100 was a scant five-hundredths from the existing world record at the time, and her 200 made her the third-fastest performer in history. Though she won a world title in the 200 again in 2001 at Fukuoka, in the years to follow, the dimunitive dynamo was never again able to approach the times that made her such an imposing force in Sydney.

After not qualifying for the 2004 Olympics, Mocanu announced her retirement this Thursday. No longer passionate about competing in swimming, Diana plans to remain involved in the sport, and has decided she would instead like to become a swim coach. When asked if she would possibly rethink her decision at some point, Mocanu told Reuters that her decision is final.