Australian swimmer Kenrick Monk has changed his story on how he suffered an injury which could hurt his Olympic chances, saying he was not hit by a car as he first claimed but fell off his skateboard.
Monk broke two bones in his elbow in what he claimed was a deliberate hit-and-run incident in Brisbane on Wednesday in which he was thrown from his bicycle.
But Swimming Australia said on Saturday that Monk had now changed his version of events, admitting he was not involved in a car accident.
"The 23-year-old actually broke his elbow in two places falling off a skateboard with no other vehicle involved," it said in a statement.
The Commonwealth Games relay gold medallist, who also competed at the Beijing Olympics and the recent world championships in Shanghai, was on his way to training when the accident occurred.
He had told police that a young driver had deliberately hit him.
"I remember the guys in the car yelling 'oi' and laughing. I turned and I got whacked on the side -- that was it," Monk said last week.
Swimming Australia chief executive Kevin Neil said the entire matter was regrettable and he would be making no further comment until the full details of the incident were known.
Monk, who specialises in the 200m freestyle, will never be able to fully straighten his right arm as a result of the accident which will keep him out of the water for up to two months.
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