TAYLOR CLOSES IN ON BEST AFTER CAREER THREAT
Olympic and world diving medallist Leon Taylor will put the
problems of the past eight months well and truly behind him
when he competes next month for the first time since injury
forced him to pull out of the Commonwealth Games on the eve
of competition.
Taylor (City of Sheffield) will complete his rehabilitation
from a long-term shoulder injury at the British Diving Championships
in Manchester despite the fact his career hung in the balance
just six months ago.
The 29-year-old has not only recovered physically from what
he hopes will be the last course of surgery to his shoulder,
he's also overcome the mental aspect of fearing his career
had been cut short by a problem that has dogged him for over
five years.
"I'm just so excited by the prospect of competing again
because the past few months have been the darkest of my career,"
said Taylor. "There were times I didn't think I'd be
able to dive again and that was very difficult to come to
terms with but I've worked hard, had great support and am
ready to return to my very best."
The Cheltenham-born athlete has carried the shoulder injury
with him throughout his most successful years, in 2004 when
he won Olympic silver and in 2005 when he won World bronze
both alongside Peter Waterfield (Southampton) in the 10m Synchro,
but ahead of the Commonwealth Games he felt he couldn't go
on.
"I had my third course of surgery to the shoulder at
the end of 2005 and but it was unsuccessful so I was forced
to sit in the stands at the Commonwealth Games," explained
Taylor.
"When I returned to the UK in April it was the darkest
time I've ever known. What followed were weeks of uncertainty
and months of painstaking rehabilitation as I had to try to
teach my shoulder to work in a completely different way.
"Originally the surgeon didn't want to perform on the
shoulder due to the trauma of the previous operations but
eventually the only option was to go under the knife again.
"Towards the end of June I had the further surgery and
thanks to the magician of a surgeon I was able to start the
process of rebuilding again."
What was scheduled to be routine surgery ended up as quite
a complex operation as further damage was discovered and repairs
made. This looked to have put Taylor out of the water even
longer but his hard work ethic ensured this didn't ruin his
chances ahead of the British Championships.
"I wasn't scheduled to get back into the water for two
months but the extra work on the shoulder saw this extend
to three months which would have had a serious effect on my
British Championship plans," explained Taylor.
"My recovery went well though, due to the support I
have in place in Sheffield, and I was able to get back into
the water a month earlier than expected at the beginning of
September.
"I worked so hard to make sure I got back as soon as
I could without risking my shoulder again. I forced myself
to be so careful to make sure it didn't break down again and
I've been having ice baths everyday to aid recovery.
"Every day I'm taking further steps towards being back
to my best and every week that goes by it's clear I'm getting
closer to my goals."
Taylor's rehabilitation hasn't just been about conditioning
his shoulder to take the kind of pounding it undergoes while
diving off the 10m platform.
After such a length of time out of the water the rest of
Taylor's body also needs careful reintroduction to the sport
as the forces at work on the body are extreme.
"It's not just the shoulder I've had to re-educate once
again. After being away from diving for such a long time I've
had to prepare my body for the punishment it receives while
diving off 10m," said Taylor.
"My back and hips have been hurting because of the lack
of work beforehand but I'm getting there eventually and by
the British Championships I aim to be back to my best.
"The shoulder is as good as it's ever going to be but
I'll be conscious of the fact it's had so much trauma in the
past. It will always hurt when I perform but you have to dive
through the pain.
"You're aware of it but because you're asking the shoulder
to move at full speed and with full movement but basically
it doesn't want to. It's a case of just working through it."
The British Championships in Manchester will be a significant
meet for Taylor and all British divers as it offers the chance
for them to define their future in the sport over the next
two years with the Beijing Olympics as the main focus.
"I've entered into the individual 10m event and I'll
partner Pete (Waterfield) once again in the 10m synchro,"
said Taylor.
"The championships are so important for all competing.
We'll be in Manchester not only aiming for national titles
but also for selection to the World Championship squad bound
for Melbourne next year.
"We're entering such an important time in the diving
world as all countries going to Melbourne will be aiming to
take the first opportunity of qualifying their countries for
the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
"My aims for the next six months are to qualify for
the World Championships and in Melbourne Britain's divers
will be looking to finish top four in the synchro events and
top 12 in the individual events to qualify Britain for the
Olympics. It such an important time and it starts in Manchester
in a month's time."
A good performance in Manchester will certainly make up for
the suffering and uncertainty Taylor has endured since breaking
down at the Commonwealth Games but whatever happens in the
pool he now has other interests.
"When I returned from the Commonwealth Games I withdrew
from the sport to concentrate on what I had in front of me.
There was a period where I thought it was all over for me
and it made me look at things within my life to see where
I was going," said Taylor.
"I'm a positive person and tried to use this time as
best I could so I decided I'd go back to school and I'm now
studying part time for a degree in business and finance.
"I have other matters to focus on now but diving is
my number one priority and I'm very excited at the prospect
of getting back into competition."
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