Swimming-Britain's head coach Furniss announces retirement

LONDON (Reuters) - British swimming's most successful head coach Bill Furniss announced his retirement on Friday after overseeing his fourth Olympic Games, Aquatics GB said in a statement.

During his time in charge, Britain won 19 medals including retaining the men's 4x200m freestyle relay title in Paris last month.

Britain finished ninth in the swimming medals table in Paris, with one gold and four silvers, having enjoyed their best swimming performance in Tokyo with four golds.

"After nearly 50 years of involvement in this great sport, it is now the right time for me to retire and spend more time with my family," Furniss said.

"The job is an all-consuming one but one that I have loved -- it is a privilege to have worked with so many dedicated athletes and to work so closely with a great number of driven, world-class coaches and support staff as well."

Furniss, 70, came to prominence as the coach of Rebecca Adlington who won two gold medals at the Beijing Games in 2008.

"While the time is right for me to step away personally, it is also the right time for Aquatics GB. A new head coach will have the full Olympic cycle to build towards LA 2028," he said.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)