Slaney Recovering From Undisclosed Infection, Coach Says

American distance runner Mary Decker Slaney has had an unspecified infection while preparing for the Olympic Games, her coach, Luiz de Oliveira, said Thursday.

Slaney left for Seoul Wednesday after missing two weeks of training, according to the coach, who declined to identify the infection. Slaney could not be reached for comment.

De Oliveira said he noticed that Slaney, 30, wasn’t in top shape during a 3,000-meter race in Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 17. Slaney was defeated by Elly Van Hulst of the Netherlands, and she later withdrew from another race.

“I thought something was wrong,” De Oliveira said. “She flew home the next day. They did a blood test and put her on antibiotics for 10 days.”

He said he did not think the illness would hamper Slaney during the Games.

“Now that she’s through with the antibiotics, I think she’s going to come along well,” De Oliveira said. “It’s a little concerning, but she has two weeks to recover.”

Slaney has said she intends to run in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters at Seoul. She won both events at the U.S. Olympic trials in July.