Navratilova recovers from altitude sickness, released from hospital

LONDON - Former Czech American tennis star Martina Navratilova has been released from a Nairobi hospital, three days after her liquid-filled lungs forced her to abandon her attempt to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Navratilova, who overcame breast cancer earlier this year, had reached nearly 14,800 feet when a doctor accompanying the 27-person team told her that she would have to give up her quest to reach the summit.

After being released from the hospital, where she was treated for high-altitude pulmonary edema, the 54-year-old said she knew that she would not be able to climb the 19,340-foot mountain in Tanzania.

“I didn’t feel badly, I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t get a full breath of air,” The Telegraph quoted Navratilova, as saying. Nothing hurt, and for an athlete that’s weird. Nothing hurt, but I (couldn’t) go on,” she added.

Navratilova was taking part in the expedition to raise awareness and money for philanthropic projects supported by the Laureus Sports Academy, an association of 46 sports stars.

So far she’s helped raise 80,000 dollars, and she noted that failing to reach the top might have generated more publicity than if she had made it to the summit.

“I always said the only failure is when you fail to try. I guess the other failure is not giving your best effort. I did both: I tried and gave my best effort,” Navratilova said. (ANI)