Guess What? Zoraya Perucha

Former national athlete and film star Zoraya Perucha has to slow down these days. The dynamic woman can no longer walk fast. No, she even has to use a crutch as she strained her muscles during exercise about three weeks ago.

As usual, on that Saturday morning she went jogging at the Klub Rasuna sports center in Kuningan, South Jakarta, running around the field 10 times. Which was not enough for Zoraya, who won a gold medal during the Asian swimming championships when she was 17. For 30 minutes, she worked out on an exercise machine, burning off some 400 calories, followed by more exercises for another two hours. By that stage, she was feeling good.

"But on Sunday night, I could barely move my right leg," she said last week. The next morning, things were even worse: she could not move at all.

Zoraya, an ANteve executive who is also a spokeswoman for the Indonesian National Olympic Committee (KONI), had to undergo physiotherapy and ultrasonic treatment. It hurt, but it worked. And she could walk again with the aid of a crutch.

"On Thursday, I felt quite well, so I left the crutch and walked up and down the stairs. I even went shopping at Hero," she said.

As a result, she strained her muscles again, but this time it was much worse. A doctor at the Metropolitan Medical Center ordered her to stay in bed for two weeks.

"I felt like I was being punished," said Zoraya, who spent the "punishment" by watching VCDs and playing with her only son.

Now she can walk without the crutch but she cannot run, let alone practice on the exercise machines. "I have to go back to basics: swimming," she said. But please, Ma'am, watch your speed... (sim)