SYDNEY, Australia, July 11. TELSTRA Dolphins Australian Swim Team members Eamon Sullivan and Hayden Stoeckel have both withdrawn from the upcoming FINA World Championships in Rome, starting on July 26, due to illness and injury.
Sullivan, who has been in Europe for the last six weeks, has struggled to overcome a virus that has hampered his training and race preparation, and as a result has decided to withdraw from the Championships.
Already withdrawing from the Barcelona and Monaco legs of the Mare Nostrum Series last month, and then competing at the Paris Open and in Milan, the 23-year-old Commonwealth Games record holder is still suffering from the energy zapping virus and will return to Australia this week for further diagnosis.
Fellow Olympic medallist from Beijing, Stoeckel has been training in Adelaide with coach Peter Bishop but in doing so has sustained a shoulder injury which has not improved in the lead up to Rome.
The 24-year-old backstroker will stay in Adelaide for treatment and rest in order to recover.
With Sullivan entered in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and Stoeckel set to swim the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke in Rome, Swimming Australia Head Coach Alan Thompson says to lose not one, but two swimmers at this stage is a huge disappointment.
"To lose two Olympic medallists this close to the start of the World Championships is pretty disappointing, but we've taken this decision with London 2012 in mind," said Thompson from Italy.
"Hayden has been struggling a bit with a shoulder injury in training, which just hasn't healed the way we would have liked, and Eamon has been knocked around by this virus ever since they were in Singapore some six weeks ago."
"While it's disappointing the guys won't be with us in Rome, the break will give them every opportunity to get over their illness and injury and regain full fitness as quickly as possible."
Neither Sullivan nor Stoeckel will be replaced in the Australian World Championships team. Stoeckel's coach Peter Bishop will still travel with the team looking after Leith Brodie, Ellen Fullerton and Lachlan Staples.
The Telstra Dolphins will leave Australia on Tuesday for a staging camp in Manchester before arriving in Rome on Wednesday 22 July for the 13th FINA World Championships.
The open water swimming events for the World Championships start on Sunday 19 July with the pool swimming starting on Sunday 26 July.
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