''It was nice and cute,''said Thompson, who won more Olympic medals than any American woman. ''But I want to get dizzy after too many laps.''
She had quit swimming two years earlier, because, after many years, the love of her life became a burden. Although she won her 10th medal of the Olympics in Sydney, its main emotion is a mixture of relief that her career is ending and disappointment that she never won the individual gold medal. Her eight gold medals won in relays.
Now she returns. At age 31, Thompson will swim at the trials of the United States, which begins today in Long Beach, California, in an attempt to make her fourth Olympic team. It will attempt to qualify for the freestyle 50-m, 100 free and 100 butterfly - and seeded first in the 50 freestyle.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, V-tapered back are the same. It's the woman inside, which is different.
Thompson now knows life offers things more expensive than gold medals. There are friends, family, medical school. There is a black and ivory wool scarf sitting in the hall closet, knitted memory of her mother.
''I have more perspective on things now,''said Thompson, wearing a tank top, hands a positive effect. ''I took things for granted. Now I do not know. I think I had to go through a very difficult time for the implementation of brevity of life.''
In February, just after Thompson took a leave from Columbia Medical School to prepare for the Olympics, her mother, Margrid, died of cancer of the esophagus. She was the biggest fan of Thompson, sitting on the pool deck in her chair, knitting blankets and baby clothes while the applause. Her mother, who was divorced, raised her four children alone in Dover, NH Jenny was the youngest.
Of her 20-apartment in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, where she can see through the Hudson River, past the George Washington Bridge, on the roof of the Bronx, Thompson talked about his mother nothing happened. She saw an independent, strong role model suffer for three years Margrid Thompson fought cancer.
''I know that I absorbed some of its strength, the courage and spirit, because I feel it every day,''Thompson said. ''Now everything is different. It is about to pay tribute to sport that gave so much to me.''
Thompson's return to swimming was unexpected. She began medical school after 2000 games. But after 2 years from Earth, and her spontaneous dip in the basement pool, she joined Coach John Collins at the Badger Swim Club in Larchmont, NY, and swam competitively again. She quickly realized she had lost much of their speed and form. The biggest advantage, however, the prospect of making another Olympic team. He saw her mother smile.
''I know, looks at me to swim is a source of joy for nee''Tompson said, adding that seeing her mother in 2003 at the world championships was a special moment in her comeback. Jenny won five medals, which are responsible, including individual gold in the 100 butterfly. ''I'm looking in the stands and saw her there really happy. That's all I could ask for.''
Collins was perfect for Thompson. It is soft, unlike the coaches in her past, giving Thompson missing practices because of schoolwork or rotations at the hospital. Collins always trusted that Thompson will get his job done, because ona''togo same roda''i''znaet how to do things now.''
She enjoys teaching because she is now in the pool with swimmers who are in middle school and younger. It is carefree, talking girl talk and listening to uneasiness among his colleagues swimmers. After all these years, she has fun.
''Even though it is famous, she's really, really cool,''said Paola Duguet, 16, Tarrytown, New York''Vy never think that it is almost twice our age.''
The situation is the complete opposite of her preparation for the 2000 Games, when Thompson had to share the pool and the coach at Stanford, California, with rival swimmer Dara Torres - creating so much stress that they should keep them in practice at different times.
