Cate Campbell reveals why she was below par in Rio
Australian swimmer Cate Campbell has revealed what may have been holding her back in her bid for gold at the Rio Olympics.
Campbell has told The Australian newspaper that she went into the Games with a hernia and will have surgery for the problem when she returns to Australia.
The world 100m freestyle record-holder told the paper that she developed the hernia three months ago, before she broke the 100m record.
Interestingly, Campbell, 24, had hinted on the final night of the swimming competition that she had carried the problem into the Games but had refused to reveal what it was for fear of it being seen as an excuse for her failure to win gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle.
She stressed in the interview with the paper that her condition did not affect her performances in Rio.
Campbell had gone into both her main events as the fastest swimmer, but fell well short of the medals in the finals.
“I want it to be very clear that I do not make any excuses for my poor performances this past week,’’ she told The Australian.
“Everyone has injuries and everyone has setbacks and I’m not about to put anything in print right now.
“I want my results to stand for themselves and I want to be able to stand and take responsibility for my actions. There may be a few things coming out a little later but that is absolutely not relevant at the moment.”
