Gymnast to undergo arthroscopy and expected to return to training in four weeks

DIEGO HYPÓLITO: Gymnast will undergo arthroscopy on his right knee, but is not afraid of being left out of the Beijing Games

Sanny Bertoldo\ O Globo\

The specter of injuries has once again haunted Brazilian gymnastics, five months before the Beijing Olympics. This time, the scare came for two-time world floor champion Diego Hypólito, who is preparing to compete in the Olympics for the first time.

With a medial meniscus injury in his right knee, he will undergo arthroscopy today in Rio. The surgery shouldn't affect his participation in the Games, as he is initially expected to return to training in four weeks.

"This surgery will be a solution for the pain. So, I'm going to do it to feel more confident. We go through a lot of difficulties in life, and 30 days won't take away my confidence in the future. After that, I'll get back to training strong and determined," he told Jornal Nacional.

Daiane had the same surgery before the Athens Games

The situation isn't new, and the comparison with Daiane dos Santos is inevitable. In June 2004, two months before the Athens Olympics, the athlete from Rio Grande do Sul also underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee and, despite being a favorite for an unprecedented gold medal, ended up finishing fifth on the floor exercise.

According to doctor Robson de Bem, who will accompany orthopedist João Granjeiro, medical coordinator of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB), in the surgery, Diego began to feel pain in his right knee two weeks ago.

"Diego suffered a minor injury to the meniscus in his right knee during training. As a result, he began experiencing pain and a decline in performance. Since he was feeling insecure in some movements, we decided to perform a more detailed evaluation today (yesterday) and, based on that, opted for arthroscopy," the doctor explained. "Since the injury isn't serious, surgery could have been postponed if he wasn't experiencing pain. But since the Olympics are five months away, he should be able to recover without any problems."

Robson stated that during his arthroscopy recovery period, Diego will be able to continue training his upper limbs and left leg. And in three or four weeks, he'll be able to resume exercising his right leg.

In any case, the surgery rules the gymnast out of the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany, from April 11th to 13th, the first of the year to feature Brazilians. His participation in the Tianjin, China, and Moscow, Russia, both in May, will depend on the pace of his recovery from the surgery.

For Renato Araújo, Diego's coach at Flamengo, discipline and persistence will help him at this time:

"He always bounces back very well, knows how to deal with the pain from the sport and has the strength to keep going, in addition to doing excellent physical therapy. He gives his all. That's the positive point."

This isn't Diego's first time under the knife. In April 2005, he fractured his right foot during the São Paulo leg of the World Cup. He had to have two pins inserted into his right tibia. A month later, he became world champion on the floor for the first time.