Hoogenband misses Montreal Worlds
 |  Van den Hoogenband will miss his first major championships in 10 years |
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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Dutch swimming great Pieter van den Hoogenband will miss July's world championships in Montreal while he recovers from a hernia operation.
"Doctors told me I would be taking an irresponsible risk if I were to compete in that event after my hernia operation. The message is clear," he revealed.
Van den Hoogenband is one of the greatest freestyle swimmers in Olympic history, winning the 100-200 meter double at the Sydney Olympics.
He set world records in both events, and successfully defended his 100m title in Athens last year.
He was also voted Dutch sportsman of the year in 2004.
"The wound has healed on the outside, the pain is gone. I also feel very good. Sometimes I swim four kilometers a day again, but not at full speed," he added.
"My Australian friend Michaal Klim, who had the same injury, recommended that I take it easy for the time being."
Hoogenband said his target now was to concentrate on peaking for the 2008 Olympics and trying to win his first individual world title in Melbourne in 2007.
"It will be the first time since the European Championships in Vienna in 1995 that I won't be there for an international championship," he said.
"I want to focus on the Olympics. In 2008 I want to win my fourth Olympic title. I want to be the first swimmer in history to win gold for the third consecutive time for the main prize, the 100 freestyle."
The flying Dutchman is the latest in a series of high-profile swimmers, including Australia's Ian Thorpe, to pull out of this year's world championships.
