Nostalgic Thompson signs off with 12th medal

ATHENS (Reuters) -- Jenny Thompson said her last night of Olympic competition had been bittersweet despite winning a silver medal that made her the most decorated swimmer in the history of the modern Games.

The 31-year-old American won her 12th medal in her fourth Olympics when she swam the butterfly leg for the U.S. 4x100 metres medley relay team, which finished second behind Australia.

But all eight of her gold medals -- she also has two silver and two bronze -- have come in relays and a seventh-place finish in the 50-meter freestyle earlier Saturday left Thompson's dream of an individual title unfulfilled.

"This is my last Olympics. Tonight was a little bittersweet," Thompson said. "Really, the whole week I just soaked it up as much as possible. I'd hoped to do a little better here."

"I was being a little nostalgic. I reflected upon it, I appreciate how great a gift it is to compete in four Olympics."

Asked if she had looked back at the pool for one last time, Thompson said: "I wasn't that nostalgic."

Thompson, a medical student at Columbia University, came out of retirement to make the U.S. team this year.

She got a bronze medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay and also finished fifth in the 100 butterfly Sunday.

Thompson passed Americans Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi to top the all-time Olympic swimming medal list.

"For me it's not the medals that count," she said. "It's my love of the sport, the people I meet and the opportunities that arise because of swimming."

"It's been a long career of hard work, fun and amazing people. Now I might just sit back and appreciate the medals."

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