Monday February 18, 2013

Nagging knee pain makes Liu Ying feel ‘old’ like daddy

KUALA LUMPUR: Top mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying feels “old” – like her father – Goh Chak Wee.

“He is 56 years old and has knee pains. That is understandable for his age. I am half his age and I have knee pains too. I feel old,” quipped the 23-year-old Liu Ying.

Indeed, a nagging knee problem has been holding back Liu Ying’s bid, to take her partnership with Chan Peng Soon to greater heights.

But the iron lady has vowed to push it through the pain barrier.

She has one more stem cell injection to take before she leaves for back-to-back outings in the German Open Grand Prix Gold in Mulheim from Feb 26-March 3 and the All-England in Birmingham from March 5-10.

“I have to take six jabs in total and I have completed five. It is not a pleasant procedure but I have to go through it. Fortunately, I am left with one more,” said Liu Ying.

“The stem cell jabs are really helpful though. It has lessened the pain on my knee and I am able to push myself even more during training. I am fortunate that my condition is closely monitored by the staff at the National Sports Institute (NSI).”

When asked whether she is contemplating taking a long break to recover completely from her knee problem, maybe after her main tournament, the World Championships in Guangzhou in August, Liu Ying said it was not necessary.

“Sometimes, thinking about my knee frustrates me but I have to stay positive. I have no plans to go for surgery just yet. My condition is getting better with proper treatment. For now, I can still handle it.”

As for the upcoming German Open, Liu Ying said she and Peng Soon are looking forward to a good outing.

In the absence of China and Indonesia’s No. 1 pairs – Xu Chen-Ma Jin and Tantowi Ahmad-Lilyana Natsir — the duo had been seeded top and have a good chance to nail their first title of the year.

“If Peng Soon and I can strike it right, we should be able to nick it,” said Liu Ying.

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