'This one's for all those people who didn't believe in me!' Stephanie Rice hits back at the haters in a series of heartfelt Instagram posts
With three Olympic gold medals and five world records under her belt, swimmer Stephanie Rice has a lot to be proud of.
But that doesn't mean she hasn't faced her share of online trolls and naysayers.
On Saturday, the athlete took to Instagram to share inspirational thoughts about her journey to the top and to hit back at her haters.
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Take that! On Saturday, Stephanie Rice took to Instagram to share inspirational thoughts about her journey to the top and to hit back at her haters
'I use to be incredibly shy when I was young. I never had many friends. So at lunch times I would sit alone or with a group (but on the outside of the circle) never really fitting in,' the now popular swimmer revealed.
Stephanie goes on to explain that once she became a swimmer, she was repeatedly discouraged from her dream of achieving Olympic gold by her school teachers.
'I'm forever grateful for all of the hard lessons and experiences I've had in life so far because they have shaped me into the woman I am today,' she continued.
In another post on the same day, the 28-year-old shared an image of herself holding a gold medal and clapped back at her haters.
Outcast: 'I use to be incredibly shy when I was young. I never had many friends. So at lunch times I would sit alone or with a group (but on the outside of the circle) never really fitting in,' the now popular swimmer revealed
'This ones for all those people who didn't believe in me, who criticized,' she wrote, adding, 'That was never going to stop me from going for my goals. And for me, this picture reminds me of why I never felt like I fitted in ... because I was never meant to.'
'Standing on the Olympic Podium (3 times) singing the Australian Anthem...and seeing my parents in the stands crying with pride made EVERY challenge f******g WORTH IT,' she concluded.
Loved: The Olympian received overwhelming support for her emotional posts, with a flood of hundreds of positive comments coming in from her followers
The Olympian received overwhelming support for her emotional posts, with a flood of hundreds of positive comments coming in from her followers.
She returned to Instagram a few hours later to post an image from the Barossa Valley, where appears to be holidaying, to thank her fans for their kind words.
She wrote: 'Thank you so much for all the love on my last posts. It truly fills my heart with joy reading your supportive comments and personal stories'.
Emotional: The swimmer told her fans, 'This ones for all those people who didn't believe in me, who criticized. That was never going to stop me from going for my goals. And for me, this picture reminds me of why I never felt like I fitted in ... because I was never meant to'
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