While she is not even considering her medal chances at this stage, Prinsloo is eager to shake off a double knock and regain traction in her promising career.
After having her tonsils removed earlier this year, following repeated bouts of illness, she was hit by a shoulder injury in the latter stages of the 2015 campaign. Despite her troubles, Prinsloo was the only individual finalist of the eight-member SA women’s swimming team at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
At the African Games in Brazzaville last month, she again led the charge, raking in 11 medals.
“My heart is still 100% invested in Rio, and I want to give it everything to qualify for the Olympics, but my body is not responding the way I’d like,” the 25-year-old High Performance Centre (HPC) athlete said on Thursday.
“After starting well last season, I’ve really struggled. It’s very frustrating.”
While the nation’s top men have performed consistently well in recent years, raking in medals at major multi-sport Games and global championships, the elite SA women have been left floundering in obscurity.
