Phelps is one of the most amazing athletes I have seen: Stephanie Rice

Since her three-gold feat at the Beijing Olympics, Stephanie Rice has been regarded as one of the best women swimmers ever. However, her  glamour quotient has made the 21-year-old a popular name on the fashion  circuits as well. In an exclusive interview to DNA, the Australian speaks about swimming, modelling career and her participation in the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Three golds at Beijing and just one silver at the Worlds. What went wrong?
Nothing actually went wrong. I had fantastic Olympics last year and then a good six weeks long break. I never thought I would be well prepared for World Championships. It was more about having a mental break and getting ready for London Games in 2012. I want to push through for that one. I don’t think I deserved to win in Rome since I had not done enough work.

Did injuries and illnesses take a toll on you?
That obviously didn’t help me. I never had proper intensive training in terms of fitness and I also got a few injuries. I then fell sick in Manchester during the pre-tour preparations. So there were a lot of things that went wrong. It was pretty difficult for me to go with such preparations. But I am pretty happy with my results under such circumstances.

What is your opinion about the controversial swimsuits?
The suits helped a lot of people in a lot of ways, but I am definitely looking forward to getting rid of them and going back to the plain standard suits that we had three to four years ago. It will be good to go back to them since the focus would be back on athletes and their capabilities rather than that of the suits.

The timings set in Rome would remain intact for a long time…
All the championships records are going to stand for a long time now. We are going to see a lot of drop in times. We are going to be much slower compared to the Rome meet. I think it will be really, really long before these records are going to be broken again by anyone. It’s time that people realise that it should not be any more about the times set but about the event and the athletes.

Do your fashion commitments distract you?
I don’t think it is something that distracts me. I think am blessed to have those opportunities come my way and I love being able to do them. Fashion shows, photo shoots don’t hinder my training. I don’t sacrifice my training for that. It is only when I get time out of training that I do these.

Are you looking forward to a career in modelling?
Possibly after my swimming career if I can continue to be a model, it will be a dream-come-true for me.

What is more important for you, Olympics or World Championships?
Olympics for sure. It is the epitome for any sports event. I mean you train for four years and with such a huge audience, it is unmatchable. Obviously the World Championships are extremely important, I am yet to win a gold medal there, but it is important for me to think about Olympics first.

Michael Phelps is a good friend of yours. Is he an inspirational figure as well?
He is one of the most amazing athletes I have seen. His focus and determination and the way he backs himself to come out and excel in competition after competition is incredible. That is something I have definitely learnt from him to how to handle that.

Do you know any Indian swimmers? Are you coming to India for CWG?
No I don’t know of any Indian swimmers. For Commonwealth Games, yes, I will. I mean I definitely hope so that I come to India (CWG). We have our trials in March and if I am swimming well then I will be on board.

Which sporting heroes do you look up to?
Serena Williams and Lance Armstrong are the athletes that I look up to.

Are you a gadget savvy person?
Yes and no. I mean I always have my BlackBerry, iPod and computer with me, but I am not much of a freak though.

Do your professional acquaintances feature in your personal life too?
Yes. I have got to know of a lot of US swimmers. I am very good friends with a lot of girls in the US team. My profession gives me a great opportunity to meet people from other countries.