Great to see women doing well in Olympics: Stephanie Rice

Former Australia swimmer Stephanie Rice (left) with Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor at a promotional in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Photo: SHRIPAD NAIK)

Former Australian women’s swimmer Stephanie Rice won three gold medals all in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. She was in smashing form in the 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley and 4x200m freestyle relay.

She almost emulated countryman Ian Thorpe’s feat of three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics. Thorpe had two silver medals also to his credit and was the most successful athlete in Sydney. But it was American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt who hogged the headlines for winning gold in every discipline they participated in Beijing. Phelps won a record eight gold medals while Bolt bagged three.

“You can’t forget people like Phelps and Thorpe. They don’t come around every day. They are super stars and it sometimes take a couple of Olympics to produce another one,” she said. Lavishing praise on Phelps who won five gold medals at Rio to take his overall tally to 23 in five Olympic games, Rice felt it was interesting that Phelps and Bolt who completed a treble of trebles recently by finishing with nine gold medals in three Olympics retired at the same time.

“Phelps is just amazing. I think it is interesting Phelps and Bolt retired at the same time. It is great to be able to finish a career on a high, it might take a little while to see another Bolt or Phelps but how amazing they were both at the same time,” Rice now an entrepreneur told this paper at the ongoing two-day Women Entrepreneurs Exhibition here on Tuesday as part of IMC ladies wing golden jubilee celebrations. Rice won more gold medals than any other woman at Beijing and was the most successful athlete for Australia, carrying her country’s flag at the closing ceremony. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009. However she had a poor outing at the London Games following a shoulder injury and announced retirement at the ripe age of 25. She has no plans of a comeback like Thorpe did briefly.

“I gave everything I have to my career for two Olympics. I have no regrets and nothing to prove. I miss swimming but I am happier now with my new job. I am getting to experience more of the world. I do a bit of coaching; mentoring like that and I love with working with kids. But I don’t swim for fitness,” she said.

Rice who is associated with women empowerment programmes across the globe including India was happy that Indian women athletes overshadowed the men in Rio.

“It is fantastic, given the fact may be some of the men didn’t go as well they hoped, for girls to rise to the occasion. It is great to see women doing well and getting recognised. It will give a real push for women in sport and be among celebrities based on their athletic skills which is great to see because they are role models for girls,” said Rice who won a 2006 Commonwealth Games gold in the 200-metre individual medley but couldn’t compete in the CWG Delhi due to a shoulder injury.