Wang Yan, the teenage gymnast who suffered a horrific fall on
Sunday, is reported to e in a stable condition and to be retrieving
some measure of muscular reaction, the head of the China Gymnastics
Administrative Center said yesterday in Shanghai.
"The latest messages from the hospital indicate that Wang Yan is
stable and she is making progress with her injury," said Gao Jian,
director of the center.
Wang, 15, fell into a coma at the national championships in
Shanghai on Sunday after landing head-first on the mat in her
dismount from the uneven bars. The accident fractured her second
and third vertebrae and it is feared she may be paralyzed for
life.
However, Gao told a press conference that her condition is
better than first thought.
"Having seen her at the hospital, I think she may do a full
recovery. Her right foot is still able to move. From yesterday, she
also felt pain in her back which doctors said is a favorable
sign."
Gao in fact sustained a similar injury himself, and he
encouraged Wang to remain strong,
"I told her I had a similar injury in 1968. But after surgery
and recovery efforts, I was finally able to stand up. I even
carried on competing afterwards. The doctor let me know that Wang
has calmed and is confident of overcoming this.”
Gao also promised to do everything in his power to ensure she
gets the best possible treatment.
"Chief officials from Shanghai and Zhejiang province (Wang's
local team) have asked different departments to offer help and
ensure Wang regains her health Wang."
"The recovery process may take a long time. It took me half a
year to be able to stand again, so we should be patient and give
her a good environment."
However, Wang's injury is similar to that suffered nine years
ago by female Chinese gymnast Sang Lan. After falling off the vault
during warm-up for the New York Goodwill Games in 1998, she landed
on her head and has been unable to walk since.
The stakes were high for Wang and her competitors at the
national championships since it represented the first step on the
road to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The gymnasts all showed off their newest and toughest routines
in a frantic race to make the national team. Furthermore, the
Federation of International Gymnastics set no limit on the
difficulty of the programs, increasing the risk of injury.
"The rule to allow non-limited difficulty leads to an increasing
number of injuries. Several nations such as Russia and the USA have
taken a stand against this rule.”
It remains unknown how Wang will be financially supported during
and after surgery despite reports from the Zhejiang Sports Bureau
that Wang's school would foot the bill for her treatment.
(China Daily June 15, 2007)