She made it to the Olympics....a medal would have been great but nothing to feel ba about.

She can hold her head high as she has accomplished more than most people her age. To qualify for the Olympics is a huge accomplishment. Moving on to college and swimming under the mentorship and training of the Olympics Team Coach will only hone her skills and make her even stronger at the next Olympics. Way to go Rachel!

We're still proud of you, Rachel! Thank you for training so hard, giving it your best effort and doing a fine job of representing your country.

I have no doubt we will be seeing this talented young lady in Rio, 2016!!!

I have enjoyed following her story. An amazing young lady!

Nothing is more motivational than a setback, or a disappointment in not achieving your goal. While you should be proud of your present achievement, maybe this will propel you to the next level You can still be very proud of your current achievement. Congratulations.....

We are all so proud of you, Rachel. You are a great representative of your country. Good luck at Cal and we be looking forward to seeing you in Rio in 2016!!

Competing in the Olympics is something to be proud of no matter what the result. It is definitely a life experience to remember. Bootsma should enjoy herself in London, and then try to get off to a good start in college. If she wants to keep swimming and compete in Rio 2016, that is her decision. If she wants to dial back the competitive swimming and focus on her studies and life beyond the Olympics, that is also a perfectly good path to take. I wish her well, no matter what she decides to do.

"With little energy left after her standout performance at last month's Olympic trials,..." --- OK, stop it now. She wasn't tired from the trials a month ago. What a ridiculous statement to make in this story. She is an Olympic athlete, and for whatever reason - nerves, tired, whatever - she didn't do as well as she had hoped. Any athlete who's competed knows you have unexplainable bad days sometimes. It happens. Even with her disappointing performance, she is the 11th fastest swimmer in the world in that event. Last I checked, that's pretty d--- good.

She will forever be an Olympian - what an awesome thing to say. She deserves to hold her head up high.