KEY POINTS:
Olympic bronze medallist Nathan Twaddle says an operation this week will not stop him from competing at the world rowing championships in New Zealand in 2010, or possibly even the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
Twaddle will have surgery on his left wrist to repair an old injury.
His arm will be in a cast for eight weeks, he will undergo three months of rehabilitation and plans to be back rowing within five to six months.
It will mark the first time in 10 years that Twaddle, 32, has had a break from rowing due to injury or illness and comes after he and George Bridgewater finished third in the men's coxless pairs final at the Olympics in Beijing in August.
"Looking ahead to the future it made perfect sense to have the operation done as quickly as I could on returning from Beijing," Twaddle he said.
"I have every intention of carrying on, but it's an old injury and needs sorting out and now is the best time to do it."
The injury dates back to 2006 when he tore a ligament in the wrist while training.
"I managed to get it working to a point where it was stable but unfortunately aggravated it again last year, though it didn't affect my season," he said.
"What it does do is interfere with some aspects of my training off the water and it is likely to become arthritic if I do nothing about it."
- NZPA
