Wang has successful surgery on ankle
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, January 18, 2014
Chinese Olympic short-track speedskating champion Wang Meng had successful ankle surgery on Thursday in Shanghai, but the national team refused to confirm whether she will miss the Winter Olympics in Sochi next month.
The four-time Winter Olympic gold medalist fell and injured her right ankle on Thursday in a collision with a teammate during training.
She was diagnosed with a fractured right ankle and had a two-hour operation at Shanghai Huashan Hospital on Thursday night. Eleven steel plates were put into her ankle to stabilize the bones.
According to Chen Shiyi, director of the hospital's sports medicine department, Wang, 28, will not be able to take part in intensive training for a certain period of time.
The steel plates will be removed only after the bones grow properly, which will take six months to one year, Chen said.
Doctors said Wang was brave during the surgery and added that she expressed her desire to take part in the Winter Games, which start on February 7.
Chen said the ankle will likely remain swollen for the first week after surgery and an infection is possible. The hospital didn't say whether she would be transferred to another medical facility.
Chen also didn't give any prognosis on whether Wang will be able to compete at an elite level again. Despite this, the national team refused to confirm whether Wang would miss the Games.
The Jilin Province native was the favorite for the women's 500m race.
She won the race at both the Turin Games in 2006 and the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. She also won gold medals in Vancouver in the 1,000m and 3,000m relay race.
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