News Round-Up:
Australia: Aussie 'fly ace Geoff Huegill had to abandon a training camp last weekend, according to media reports Down Under. The reason was the best there could be: back home in Sydney his wife Sara had given birth to the couple's first child, a girl.
Married last May at Bali's Bulgari resort, the Huegill's are not revealing details of their new arrival as yet, the Telegraph's Sydney Confidential diary column tells readers. The reason: they are said to have sold the rights "to the same magazine that covered their engagement, nuptials and pregnancy announcement".
At the time Huegill announced that he and his wife were t become parents, he told the media: "If I do qualify, fingers crossed, consider this: Sara is going to be sitting proudly in the stands with our new little baby in her arms. Imagine that. I'm swimming for the last time in my life, at an Olympics, and I get to do it with my family around me - that's what it's all about. It's my last chance.''
There was some good news for the Huegills as they plan to have their baby in the stands this summer in London. Olympic Organisers are considering options for new mothers who want to bring their babies into venues, after some parents complained that they have to buy full price tickets for their infants.
"Of course we understand that some new mums may want to take their babies to events they have tickets to, and we will look at what we can do when the remaining tickets go on sale in April," LOCOG said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the happy news keeps Huegill in the headlines Down Under for the second successive week: the Commonwealth 100m butterfly champion earned plaudits last week after helping when a man who suffered a heart attack while scuba diving off the Perth coast. Huegill was on a boat with two others who guided rescuers to the diver's vessel. Despite best efforts, the man died.
Britain: Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, the Kenyan who chose to switch to Britain in 2009-10, has opted to quit the sport in favour of an academic career. After two seasons of struggle that followed a decision to leave the programme at which she had been successful in a move to London, the first black woman to race for Britain has decided not to enter Olympic trials in March. The teenager, who is seeking a place at Oxford University, indicated as far back as 2010 that she placed greater stock on a degree than an Olympic medal. In a sport where you really have to want it to get it, Ajulu-Bushell would appear to have taken the right path.
