Swm: More to life than gold medals

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2008
Swm: More to life than gold medals

By Doug Conway, Senior Correspondent

BEIJING, Aug 14 AAP - One of the greatest inspirations at Beijing's Olympic pool today
didn't even get wet.

Eric Shanteau has more important things on his mind than medals, namely beating testicular
cancer.

The whole world had wished him into the 200m breaststroke final, but he missed out
by 13 one-hundredths of a second.

He was second substitute.

He had to watch on as Japan's Kosuke Kitajima took the gold medal ahead of Australian
Brenton Rickard.

On a rare day when Michael Phelps was not up for any gold medals, this was the perfect
time to contemplate swimmers other than winners.

Shanteau was diagnosed with cancer just days after being selected on the American team.

The 24-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia opted to delay his treatment in order to live
his Olympic dream.

That dream didn't turn out quite the way he hoped.

Everyone hopes his treatment does.

Shanteau is a reminder that sport, even elite sport, is just a part of life.

"There's a lot more to life than the Olympic Games," he said.

"Learning that lesson quickly keeps the whole event in perspective for me."

Shanteau, whose own hero is Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France cycling legend who
overcame the same disease, is something of a hero himself in the US team.

Phelps, who lost his grandmother to cancer, said: "It's not an easy battle. He's positive
and he's excited to be here, and he seems like just a normal guy."

US team captain Brendan Hansen said: "He gives you a sense of the bigger picture. The
Olympics look a lot smaller when you're dealing with something like cancer."

Champion backstroker Aaron Peirsol said: "The way he's handled this has put all this
into perspective for all of us. We've taken a step back and realised there is more to
it than just swimming."

The public sees Shanteau's positive side, but he talked candidly this week about the
other side, saying he was "only human" and was on a "roller coaster ride".

"This isn't the `flu, it's cancer," he said.

"It is on my mind constantly, I can't help that."

Shanteau has been quite a story in Beijing, especially considering the attention heaped
on his teammate Phelps, the most successful Olympian of all time.

But when all the shouting has died down, and everyone has gone home to get on with
their own lives, he begins his next battle alone.

AAP dc/jmt

KEYWORD: OLY08 SWM VIEW

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.