Stephanie Rice "bursts into tears" while announcing withdrawal from 2010 CWG

Published>Fri, Aug 20 10 12:18 PM

Sydney, Aug 20 (ANI): A teary triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice on Friday announced her withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games due to a shoulder injury.

Swimming star Rice has been battling an inflamed right shoulder since winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and had hoped to compete in at least three events in the current Pan Pacific Championships in California before heading for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

"Obviously it is a huge disappointment for me, I would have loved to have been there because Commonwealth Games comes around once every four years," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Rice, as saying.

"I have to think of the bigger picture, which is the Olympics to be held in London in 2012," she added.

Rice had originally planned to swim in seven events at the PanPacs Swimming Championship, but had scaled down her schedule back to three because of her shoulder problem.

On Wednesday she swam her first race, the 50-metres butterfly, but failed to make the final. Later in the day, she made the painful decision to opt for arthroscopic surgery rather than competing in the Commonwealth Games.

Rice will undergo an operation soon and then embark on 12 weeks of rehabilitation.

"They have told me rehab is 12 weeks. I guess four weeks out of the water if surgery goes well. I will do cross-training to maintain my fitness while out of the pool," she said. (ANI)

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