Back to the pool for Olympic party girl

Fairfax

REGAINING FOCUS: Since winning gold at the Olympics Australian swimmer Stephanid Rice has been living the high life. she says that is about to change.

Relevant offers

Stephanie Rice knows exactly how much fun it was while it lasted. She also realises it's now time for the party girl to vanish, and to replace her with a "boring" swimmer focused on winning medals.

Since her three golds in Beijing, Rice has made sure she enjoyed her time in dry dock. Ever since, a steady stream of photos showing the 20-year-old partying have landed on the desks of picture editors across the country. And Facebook should be sending her royalty cheques.

While she has never shied away from the spotlight, Rice said yesterday she was "looking forward to that whole side of things calming down and what I love doing [swimming] to become the focus again."

Rice also revealed that, while it has been difficult dealing with her private life being documented in minute detail, she feels she can cope with it and not struggle with the limelight like other high-profile athletes - like Cathy Freeman and Jodie Henry - have in the past.

"It's been a bit strange for me and something I didn't think would ever really go this far," Rice said.

"I guess I came into the media being in a relationship with Eamon [Sullivan] and that's how our media [coverage] started out, and it's just kept on going. I've definitely been a lot more aware in my private life when I'm not around the pool.

"It is a bit upsetting when you read things that you know are not true … but the whole population doesn't have a clue it's not. It's been strange but I've been dealing with it pretty well I think.

"Most of the time people will say, 'Oh, you're in the paper today', and I'm like, 'Oh, really, I haven't done anything so I don't know what it's about'.

"That is scary. Sometimes you read stuff and it's like, 'What are they on about, none of this happened'. I think I have the personality to laugh it off and not worry about it too much.

"It does [upset me] when people have commented on the article and how they think I just want to be a show pony and all that sort of thing, and that's probably been the hardest thing because you can't do anything about that.

"I've had all this time socialising and having a good time with friends but once I do get back into training and have a set routine going, there won't be as much media surrounding that. It's going to be pretty boring."

Rice conducted a swimming clinic for youngsters - including four-year-old Kate Daly from Canberra - at the world cup event at the Sydney Aquatic Centre yesterday.

Kate suffers from cystic fibrosis, has a life expectancy of just 10 years, and is forced to take 26 tablets a day to battle the disease - and is a huge fan of Rice, having watched her golden Games in China.

Her parents were invited to Sydney for the clinic, and Kate even presented Rice with a bouquet of flowers. "She actually did a drawing at pre-school to give her, but another kid tore it up," her father said.

- © Fairfax NZ News