Italy's Olympic and world swimming champion Federica Pellegrini plans to retire after the 2012 London Olympics, the 21-year-old told reporters yesterday.

Pellegrini, who won the 200 and 400 freestyle at the Rome World Championships earlier this year and gold in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said she would concentrate on finding "new motivation" from the ongoing European short course championships in Istanbul until the London Games.

"It will be tough, but I absolutely have to try before closing my career at the London Games and starting a family."

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