Pleumjit racing to be fit for opener
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Injured volleyball star Pleumjit Thinkaow is confident that her right ankle, which was injured during practice on Wednesday, will heal in time for the opening encounter against China in the FIVB World Grand Prix Preliminary at the Hong Kong Coliseum today
Though she is recovering fast and ready to help Thailand in the remaining six preliminary matches, including three in Hong Kong, whether she plays or not is up to the staff coaches.
“I think my physical condition has gradually improved. I still feel a bit stiff, the muscles along the right leg and ankle in particular are very tight,” said Pleumjit, who made her national debut in 2002.
“The staff coaches have to make the decision. They will assess my physical fitness before making up their mind. They know it will be too risky to allow me to compete when I am not 100 per cent fit. I will respect the coaches’ decision,” she added.
Thailand’s team doctor Ruangsak Siripol said he would not be surprised if Pleumjit, a well disciplined athlete, recovers from her injury quickly.
“She is a strong and knowledgeable girl and she knows how to reduce the seriousness of an injury. She knew what to do when she felt the pain in her ankle. She takes good care of herself. I think she can play the Hong Kong leg for sure, but it depends upon the decision of the staff coaches. If they agree that it’s too risky to send her out on court, then she should be retained for the remaining three matches in Bangkok. By that that time, she should be fully fit,” the doctor said.
Yesterday, Asian champions and world No 12 Thailand had a strategy session, studying tapes of Chinese players, before leaving for training at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Pleumjit will hear tomorrow whether she has made the starting line-up.
Today, Thailand take on formidable China, world No 5 and last year’s World Grand Prix silver medallists, at 7.30pm Bangkok time. Channel 7 will televise the match live. Japan and Italy open the tournament at 5.30pm.
Hundreds of Thai fans have reportedly already landed in Hong Kong to cheer their team. At the Suwon leg in South Korean last week, around 2,000 South Korea-based Thai expatriates turned up to cheer the stars.
