Injury has forced the Southland swimmer Natalie Wiegersma out of July's World Championships in Shanghai.
The 21-year-old has not recovered sufficiently from a niggling shoulder injury and has informed Swimming New Zealand that she wishes to withdraw from the team.
Coach Jeremy Duncan says Wiegersma has missed too much training and is unable to cope with the heavy training workload required to be at world class for the world championships in Shanghai.
Wiegersma, a former world young champion and World Cup medallist, emerged internationally last year when she placed fifth and seventh in the A Finals of the individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships, where she moved into the top 20 in the world in both events.
She went on to set a new national record in the 200m medley at the Delhi Commonwealth Games where she finished fourth.
