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Swimmer Hall diagnosed with diabetes
Posted: Sunday March 28, 1999 06:36 PM
PHOENIX (AP) -- Olympic gold and silver medalist Gary Hall Jr. has been diagnosed with diabetes and is considering retiring from swimming. Hall withdrew from this week's national championships after being told by a family physician that diabetes was why he was having bouts of fatigue and dizziness. "I'm considering retirement at this point," Hall told The Arizona Republic. Hall saw his physician after feeling weak, saying he was having unusual fatigue after workouts in recent months. "My arms would shake, and I thought that maybe it was just from hard training," he said. Diabetes is the latest blow in Hall's career since 1996, when he finished second to Russia's Alexander Popov in the 100-meter freestyle at the Olympics, then anchored two gold medal-winning relays for the United States. Hall was suspended for three months last summer by the International Olympic Committee after allegedly testing positive for marijuana. He eventually won a court order that allowed him to compete in September in a World Cup meet in Texas, where he won the 50-meter freestyle. But Hall always has been at odds with USA Swimming. After the 1998 World Championship in Australia, he faced a disciplinary hearing for allegedly violating the conduct code. Among the charges was one involving wearing a wig for the team picture. "The whole string of events has made me wonder," he said. "I don't enjoy it anymore." Hall, 24, plans to think through his options in the upcoming weeks. "I'm going to retreat, look at the future and try to come up with a strategy," he said.
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