Injured Wang Meng likely to miss Sochi Games
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, January 17, 2014
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Wang Meng of China celebrates as she won the women's 1000m final at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Debrecen March 10, 2013. |
Defending Olympic short-track speedskating champion Wang Meng of China will miss the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi after sustaining a broken right ankle during training yesterday.
Wang fell and injured her right ankle yesterday morning during a training session with the national team, which is in Shanghai preparing for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia starting on February 7.
The 28-year-old Jilin Province native was sent to Shanghai Huashan Hospital around noon and was scheduled for an operation around 8pm.
The four-time Winter Olympic gold medalist was a favorite in the women's 500m race, which she won in both 2006 and 2010. She also won gold in both the 1,000m race and 3,000m relay at the Vancouver Games in 2010.
Wang collided with a teammate at high speed as she was making a turn during the training session.
A doctor said Wang suffered a comminuted fracture in her right ankle that created multiple bone splinters.
The recovery period is usually three months for such an injury, the doctor said.
Doctors did not say whether the injury would affect her long-term career.
The injury was reportedly more serious than the ankle injury sustained by hurdler Liu Xiang during the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Wang was accompanied by head coach Li Yan at the hospital.
Some teammates and officials from the Shanghai Sports Bureau also visited yesterday afternoon.
Wang is known for being outspoken and violating team rules, which have led to her being suspended on two separate occasions.
She was suspended from the team in July 2011 due to conflicts with coaches, violent behavior and drinking.
She was reinstated to the national team in October 2012.
The gold medalist missed the 2007 World Short Track Speedskating Championships after the national team banned her for making inappropriate remarks about the team's strategy and coach Li.
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