Maggie Mac Neil Reveals Fractured Elbow, Still Focused on Worlds
Maggie Mac Neil announced she has a fractured elbow sustained at the NCAA Championships.
The Olympic gold medalist from Canada posted the news Monday on Instagram, following the Canadian World Trials.
Mac Neil won the 100 butterfly in the meet to qualify for worlds, but withdrew from the rest of her individual events at the meet.
“Well, getting a CT and an MRI to find out I have a fractured elbow is not the way I thought my meet would go. But so grateful to have been able to swim and qualify for worlds and comm’s,” Mac Neil posted.
She cited mental health as a factor, but physical health also turned out to be a major factor. Mac Neil won the event in 57.13, well off her Canadian record of 55.83. But Mac Neil revealed in an interview with CBC that she’s going to eschew the individual event at Worlds to swim only relays, citing her mental health.
“It’s hard to stay at the top and that pressure really got to me,” Mac Neil said. “I need a chill summer. I don’t want to be out of international competition. I want to train and compete well for Canada but I needed that little bit of a let up I guess.”
“Your mental and physical health comes before you as an athlete. So they (Swimming Canada) definitely have been thinking of us as a person first which is so important. I’m grateful for that.”
Maggie Mac Neil won’t be able to train the same way for a while, but will focus on her kicking and do everything she can to be prepared for the 2022 World Championships.
“You can catch me kickin’ it up for the next few weeks to prepare for a summer adventure,” she posted.