Olympic champion Stephanie Rice was forced to withdraw from the reality show SAS: Australia last week because she dislocated her shoulder during a challenge.
The injury is similar to the ones that plagued her after the 2008 Olympics. In Beijing, Rice won the 200 IM, 400 IM, and the 800 free relay at just 20-years-old. But in 2010, Rice underwent the first of what would eventually be three shoulder injuries. She retired from competitive swimming in 2014.
SAS:Australia is a reality quasi-military training program. Previous seasons have featured professional swimmers like Shayna Jack and James Magnussen.
After dislocating her shoulder, Rice was originally allowed to remain on the show and tried to remain active in the challenges. But she was ultimately forced to withdraw because she risked the injury getting worse.
When she was forced to withdraw by the show’s medical team, Rice became emotional, and opened up about her struggles post-retirement from swimming.
“This is exactly what happened to me before at the London Olympics,” she said. “So it’s just so frustrating. I felt really lost after I finished swimming. I didn’t feel like I had any purpose or any direction and I didn’t feel like anybody understood.”
Rice continued, “I felt like I haven’t really trained for anything since I finished competing, like I haven’t really had a goal to work towards, one specific thing. Having an athletic goal is something I know how to do. I know how to prep for that. I know how to train and push myself and I’ve always loved that feeling. I don’t know if I’ll ever find something that was the same as what swimming was.”
The show’s host Ant Middleton honorably discharged Rice from the competition and allowed her to leave the course with her band; something he said had never happened before on the show, as typically competitors leave their bands when they depart.
Rice posted the following on Instagram reflecting on the injury and her departure from the show.
Total respect for Stephanie Rice.
Interesting point to me: after undergoing shoulder surgeries, she came back and made the final in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the 2012 London Olympics. Everyone focuses on medal winners, but I think it is a testament to her toughness and grit that she made the finals of these events after all she had been through. In the 200 IM she was fourth, so just outside of the medals. A true champion. It is easy to miss these stories.
Stephanie, best wishes going forward from an American fan.
She performed with courage and dignity right till the end, Champion through and through!