SHENYANG, China, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League to an unexpected stand still. For the vast majority of players, it is a difficult time. But Cong Mingchen, forward for the Liaoning Flying Leopards, regards it as a precious opportunity for recovery.

After his team restarted morning exercises on Tuesday, Cong arrived at the training center early together with several young players. Although Cong still cannot participate in high pressure training, he is very excited to be able to run with his teammates.

"I haven't trained for three or four months, so it's exciting for me to return to training," Cong said.

In the opening game of this season Cong picked up an unfortunate injury. He was later diagnosed with Lumbar Transverse Process Fracture (LTF), facing a recovery period of about half a year.

However, the CBA has been suspended since the Spring Festival without a clear restart date so far, giving Cong more time for recovery.

"Though coming back to training, my strength has not completely recovered and I am not able to jump very high," said Cong.

Liaoning head coach Guo Shiqiang is concerned about Cong's physical condition. During morning sessions, all players are required to run for a specified distance with a given time. But for Cong, Guo told him to control his speed and to slow down if he feels any pain.

"Cong has recovered quite well in the recent month. Now he can practice with the whole team. There is no problem for him to play in the game, but he still needs to adjust," Guo said.

Cong is also optimistic about the future. "When I was injured in the first game, I was really sad. I couldn't accept this fact for quite a long time, but later I began to comfort myself. I had a good rest due to injury. I think I will return to my best state after recovery," Cong said. Enditem

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