Medical team to decide fate of Juana, Indriyani
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)