Medical team to decide fate of Juana, Indriyani

JAKARTA (JP): Athletes need to have mounting enthusiasm prior to competition, but when illness or injury strikes, they must cope with a situation for which they haven't trained.

Two Indonesian women athletes -- Juana Wangsa Putri (tae kwon do) and Sri Indriyani (weightlifter) -- may lose their dreams of competing in the prestigious Olympics because of injuries.

The National Sports Council (KONI) official in charge of sports science commission, Carmen Jahya, told a press briefing Thursday that Indriyani, nicknamed Indri, had to undergo minor arthroscopic surgery for a torn lateral meniscus (fibrous cartilage bordering and partly covering the articulating surface of the tibia and femur in the knee).

"Her lateral meniscus does not function properly. It causes pain when Indri tries to move or lift anything," she said.

After surgery, Indri will have only light training for two to four weeks until recovery, Carmen said. Indri must also undergo physiotherapy.

"We still have four months until the Olympics. I hope we can prepare her to reach peak form for the event," she said.

Carmen said KONI will wait for a recommendation from the medical team before allowing Indri to compete in the Olympics.

"We don't want to push her training and possibly destroy her future. If the medical team says Indri needs long-term treatment, she can still compete in various competitions other than the Olympics," she said.

Carmen said Juana has chronic back pain and may suffer from hernia nucleus pulposus (a protrusion of cartilage from between two vertebrae) and will undergo an electromyograph (EMG) test to help diagnose any neuromuscular disorders.

Should the test show that nerves in Juana's back are affected by the constriction, Juana would be unable to compete in any tournaments, including the Olympics.

"Juana will need long-term medical treatment, particularly to strengthen her waist and leg muscles. Her preliminary test result was unsatisfactory. If she wants to resume practice, she should coordinate her training program with our physical rehabilitation program," she explained.

Indri, who competes in the 48-kilograms division, injured her right knee when she tried to lift an 110 kg barbell early this month, while Juana, a flyweight division competitor, has been troubled by her back for years. Both are debutantes for the Olympics in Sydney from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1.

Carmen said that women's shuttler Cindana Hartono, who suffered a left calf injury, will be allowed to compete in the Uber Cup match in Kuala Lumpur in May.

"She won't compete in the Japan Open next month. It's too risky for her," she said.

She also said that KONI will provide typhoid immunization to athletes currently training for the Olympics. "KONI has approved the idea, but we're waiting for the financial support," she said. (ivy)