Two-time 100 metres freestyle Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband retired from international swimming on Thursday after failing in his quest to win a third straight 100 freestyle gold medal.The 30-year-old Dutchman said it was time to hang up his goggles after he finished a credible fifth in the final behind Frenchman Alain Bernard, conceding defeat to a younger generation of sprinters vying.
"That was my last race," he said. "It's a new generation and now it's time to step aside."
