‘Makes me sad’: Stephanie Rice makes heartbreaking admission after Olympic career
Stephanie Lassey (nee Rice) said it makes her sad to see photos of her younger self after admitting she has “no desire” to keep swimming.
The three-time gold medallist, 38, opened up about her complicated relationship with the sport in an honest post on Wednesday shared to her new Instagram.
Rice, who won three gold medals in Beijing, said she has “no desire” to keep swimming. Getty
“A few things that have been on my heart lately,” the former Olympian penned.
In a list, the Aussie wrote: “The only time I get in a pool is on holidays. Feel like I overdid it and burned out. Still healing from some swimming hurt.
“Makes me sad that something I used to love, I now have no desire for,” she admitted.
Sharing the list to her Stories, she added a photo of her younger self taken during swimming practice.
That young girl, would go on to win three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, her first-ever Olympics at just 20 years old.
She would also hold several world records to her name.
“Actually makes me really emotional seeing that little girl, so in love with swimming, and to now, not wanting much to do with it,” she said.
The swimmer said seeing photos of her younger self, made her feel sad. Instagram/@stephanie.lassey
The athlete retired from competitive swimming in 2014, citing a shoulder injury as her reason.
The then-25-year-old announced her retirement just two years after the 2012 London Olympics.
At the time, the swimmer shared that she had “felt a lot of pressure” following her 2008 Beijing success before announcing she would be leaving the sport.
Stephanie admitted she now only goes in the pool on holidays. Instagram
Transitioning away from the pool, she packed up her life in Australia for Dubai in 2023 where she met now husband Mark Lassey, 48.
It’s a move that changed her life, the star admitted as her list of “honest thoughts” continued.
“I couldn’t see a way forward in Australia,” she wrote. “Felt like no matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t able to get ahead.”
The Aussie has previously spoken about reaching the “lowest” point in her life during that transition period.
Rice and Lassey were romantically linked for 10 months before they wed in 2025. Instagram/@itsstephrice
After retiring, the athlete managed her own sponsorships, endorsements and motivational speaking career for years.
She, however, admitted to crumbling under the weight of “public scrutiny, hate comments, legal battles and failed businesses” that kept “breaking” her faith.
Lassey attributed her faith and her husband’s kindness and patience to having “healed” her heart over the years.
She also admitted to being “too harsh” on herself when it came to exercise and was looking forward to a new chapter where she is now giving both herself and her body “grace”.
The Aussie took to Instagram to share ‘a few honest thoughts’ with her fans. Instagram/@stephanie.lassey
Lassey returned to social media in July after a year-long hiatus.
She met her husband Lassey in early 2024 when they were introduced by a mutual friend.
He is a pastor of the Kingdomcity Church and a father to three boys, Tyler, Joel and Luke, from a previous marriage.
