Melanie Schlanger in the swim despite doctor’s orders

Read Sydney Morning Herald

Some sporting careers do not travel the easiest path, and so it is with Melanie Schlanger, for whom it would not seem normal if she was not battling an illness or injury in preparation for a major competition.

Schlanger has defied doctor’s orders to compete in Brisbane this week at the selection trials for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The 27-year-old has been hampered for the past 18 months by illness and rib and shoulder injuries that forced her withdrawal from last year’s world championships team.

She damaged another rib earlier this year and was told to rest for six weeks. But with less than three months to the selection trials, she decided to push ahead with her preparation to give herself the best chance to qualify for the Australian team at the Commonwealth Games.