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USWNT star Mallory Swanson has bounced back from injury hell to make the Paris Olympics this summer.
Swanson tore her left patellar tendon during a friendly against Ireland in April 2023, just three months before the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
USWNT star Mallory Swanson[/caption]
Swanson suffered a devastating injury against Ireland in April 2023[/caption]
She required two surgeries after suffering a bad infection[/caption]
The Chicago Red Stars forward ended up missing the 2023 Women’s World Cup[/caption]
The Chicago Red Stars forward suffered an infection after her primary surgery.
And she had to undergo a second procedure less than two weeks later, resulting in her missing the World Cup and the remainder of the 2023 NWSL season.
“That tendon just completely ruptured and then my kneecap went up into my thigh,” Swanson told The Women’s Game podcast.
“So it almost dislocated too. It hurt so bad.
“The training staff came on the field and then they put my kneecap back in place. And then I got relief and I was better.”
Swanson says the injury was only the beginning of her problems.
“I ended up having an infection in my knee a week and a half later,” she added.
“So basically I got surgery and then a week and a half later, I had a second surgery. It was really bad.
“They had to do basically an emergency surgery to try and get this infection out because it was starting to — I don’t want to say it was starting to take over my body — but I was very, very ill.”
The following weeks and months were extremely tough for the 26-year-old, who is married to Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.
“I think after that, that’s when I knew. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m [not playing in the] World Cup’,” she added.
“I honestly didn’t even think about playing after that. I was like, I literally just need to feel better because I was so sick.
“I was on IV antibiotics for like six weeks. I had a PICC line in. It was awful. It was like literally the worst thing ever, but we made it through.”
Swanson has managed to recover from her injury hell to make her second Olympic team.
She was also part of the 2016 squad which made the quarterfinals.
Aged 18, she scored in a 5-0 victory over Ireland to become the youngest American to score an Olympic goal.
Swanson was then part of the USWNT squad which won the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Swanson is now preparing for her second Olympic Games[/caption]
In January, she signed a lucrative long-term contract to remain with the Red Stars until 2028.
The deal is estimated to be worth more than $400,000 per year, with a $2 million total.
Swanson secured her long-term future with Chicago in large part to remain close to her MLB star husband.
The Cubs shortstop signed a seven-year, $177 million contract in 2022.
The couple married in December 2022 after dating for five years.
How to watch the Olympics
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The Olympics are headed to Paris in July, but don’t worry if can’t catch a flight to France, we’ve got you covered.
You can watch all of the action from the comfort of your own home, and there’s still time to get your stream sorted:
You can also follow The U.S. Sun for all the latest from this year’s biggest sporting event.
