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Australian swimming’s golden girl
Very superstitious —
Stephanie Rice, who has made an art of her pre-race rituals, was under big pressure to perform at the Australian 2012 Olympic trials in Adelaide in March.
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Comeback queen —
But she celebrated victory in the women's 200 meter individual medley final on March 18.
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Defending champion —
Rice, who was voted Australia's most popular Olympic athlete in a newspaper poll ahead of London 2012, waves to the crowd during the official swimming team announcement on March 22. She will also defend her 400m IM title.
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Freestyling —
A three-time gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rice had to battle back into selection contention after needing surgery to correct shoulder problems.
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Butterfly girl —
Rice missed out on defending her titles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but won both her events at the Australian trials.
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Rice's records —
She set world records at the 2008 Olympics -- her 200m IM time has since been beaten, but Rice retains the 400m IM landmark.
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A sign of things to come —
The omens were good for Rice ahead of the Beijing Games, as she broke the 400m IM world record at the Australian Championships in March 2008.
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A star is born —
Rice's exploits in China made her a national hero and catapulted her into a world of celebrity.
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Award winner —
Having been named Australia's swimmer of the year, the Queenslander was in demand for events such as the 2009 GQ Men Of The Year Awards.
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Foul tweet —
However, she lost a major sponsorship deal in 2010 after making a homophobic comment about South Africa's rugby team on her Twitter account. Seen here during her public apology, Rice's shoulder bears the scars of her surgery.
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Reds rule —
Rice embraces her former boyfriend, rugby star Quade Cooper, after his Queensland Reds won the 2011 Super Rugby Grand Final in July 2011. She was earlier in a relationship with fellow swimmer Eamon Sullivan, but split with both ahead of successive Olympics.
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Back with a bronze —
Later in 2011 she began her swimming rehabilitation by winning bronze in the 400m IM at the world championships in Shanghai.
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Commonwealth champion —
Rice first came to prominence as an 17-year-old when she won two gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
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Early days —
Born in Brisbane, she has been a successful swimmer from a young age.