TAYLOR UNDERGOES SURGERY TO CURE INJURY
Olympic silver medallist Leon Taylor has undergone surgery
to an injured shoulder as the diver continues his battle to
be fit in time for next year's World Championships.
Platform diver Taylor, who also won bronze at the 2005 World
Championships, underwent surgery on Tuesday in an effort to
solve the long-standing problem once and for all so he can
pursue his aims of competing in Melbourne next spring and
the Olympics in 2008.
It's the fourth time Taylor, who lives and trains in Sheffield,
has received surgery to his shoulder but the Cheltenham-born
diver is staying positive and hopes the latest operation will
eradicate the issue that forced him to pull out of the Commonwealth
Games on the eve of competition.
"It's going to be a very tough journey back but if the
operation achieves what it set out to do then I can look forward
to diving again before the end of the year," said the
28-year-old.
"The surgery was designed to give my shoulder more room
to move but the team also spotted and repaired a partial tear
within the joint. This means my rehabilitation is going to
be longer than I originally hoped for and I'm looking at three
months now before I can test it."
It's an unfortunate setback for Taylor who cancelled his
season on his return from the Commonwealth Games but he still
feels confident his aims for the year are still achievable.
"The positive is that it still gives me enough time
to be fit again before the National Championships in December.
That has always been my target as it will be my chance to
qualify for next year's World Championships," said Taylor.
"I'll be wearing a sling for the next two weeks so there
isn't too much I can do. I'm able to use a static bike for
cycling to try to keep my fitness up and physiotherapists
are gently moving the shoulder joint to keep it mobile."
Taylor was in surgery on Tuesday morning but made sure he
was awake, albeit a bit groggy, to watch England's World Cup
match against Sweden that evening.
"There was no way I was going to miss the match. I had
an injection into a nerve to numb the arm and the pain, and
managed to watch the game although I was pretty bleary eyed."
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