Hongbo sustains serious injury to his ankle -- again!

[scheherazade]

I just read over on FSU that Hongbo seriously injured his achilles tendon while practicing a 3/3 last week. I think our handy translators are working on articles, but there is speculation that he might be out for the whole season -- three months of rehab and another two before he will be allowed to practice jumps again :( Poor Hongbo! Here (http://star.sports.cn/shzh/xwlb/2005-08-09/640532.html) is a link to a pic of him on the operating table, and here (http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27425) is a link to the thread.

So sad! :(

<edited to fix information as it becomes more clear>

[tongueincheek]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v53/Tongueincheek/Chickens/cry.gif

[CordeliaFitzgrld]

He he.. I posted at the same time; sorry about that, scheherazade.

This is such terrible news. I don't think I'm going to have the heart to make it through this season. I adore this team so very much, the pairs comp will not be worth watching for me, that's for sure. What the heck is up with the universe? First Angela, and now Hongbo; these are atheletes who absolutely deserve to live out their Olympic dream. I think i'm going to go cry now about the unfairness of the world.<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/frown.gif" />


Jamie

[Krista]

This is too bad :( . I hope that it isn't as serious as they think it is. Why does it have to be in an olympic year, or any year for that matter. They're my favorite pair. I wish him a speedy recovery

[ceap]

No, no, no. I can't believe it. I agree...if they are out for the season, Pairs Skating will be boring. They are so deserving of the Olympic Gold! Damn, why did this happen in an Olympic year?

[honey827]

:( I am hoping he has a speedy recovery. They will be missed on the GPS. The thumbs up he is giving on the operating table in the pic was nice to see. It is good that he has a positive attitude because he will need it during the next few months.

[nymkfan51]

I just can't believe this has happened to them. This is just awful. :(
I pray there is some way they can come back and compete at the Olympics. After MK, they were the skaters I most wanted to see this season.

[Limberlost Girl]

I can't think of anything more eloquent than a cry of NO!NO!NO! and a shake of the fist at cruel, cruel fate. Why isn't there a crying smiley?

[scheherazade]

After MK, they were the skaters I most wanted to see this season.

Me too, nymkfan, me too :\

[yankgrl46]

I haven't been on in a few days, and to hear this news is awful. They are pairs skating for me. Without them, there is nobody that captures my heart.

[kwanluv]

This is just awful. I mirror everyone's sentiments. :\

[visaliakid]

Shen and Zhao's Olympic dream in jeopardy...

Hongbo Zhao breaks Achilles tendon

Lead-in info with pix and link to full story at Blazing Blades (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=kwantifiable).

Visaliakid

:LP

[kwanette]

:( This is terrible...ITA, yakgrl, nymkfan51...so sad....

[skatesindreams]

What awful news; I wish him a speedy recovery, and the best possible rehabilitation.

[SpreadEagle]

This IS horrible news... Shen and Zhao are my favorite pairs team. Hongbo will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers this season, and I wish him a speedy recovery as well.

[chipso1]

This totally sucks! They really had an amazing chance at Olympic Gold! Ahhh! :(

[BassChick]

No no no no no!!! Oh heck, this would be heartbreaking news about any skater this season, but Xue and Hongbo are my favorite pairs team! Oh, I am way beyond sad.
:(

I'm going to believe that it's still early enough in the season that he can make a (safe) return in time for the Olympics.

[Podkopayeva]

Beyond unfair. :(

[feelingbegins03]

This absolutley sucks! Poor Hongbo! As much as I'd love to see them at the Olympics, I hope he wouldn't push himself so hard that he'd injure himself for life. Wishing him a speedy recovery! :( :YS

[GMAN]

:( I'm so sad for them. I pray that they will find out what's wrong and will help him heal as quickly as possible without injuring himself even more. I soooo badly want them to win the Olympics too!

[Fumbilicious]

Man, I was so rooting for them to win that Olympic gold! Sorry to hear of his injury and pray for him to have a quick and full recovery.

[taytay165]

NO!! That's awful.:( I feel the same as all of you so I won't re-state everything, but I too Pray that he has a speedy recovery and can come back in time to try for the Olympics.

- tara

[iloveskating]

Oh dear, what a shame. I love that pair.:o

[gratefulmkfan]

They are so deserving of the Olympic Gold! Damn, why did this happen in an Olympic year?

I couldn't agree more, but the why is obvious. Rack up another injury to the NJS. Pair skaters practicing 3/3's for what reason - only to satisfy CoP - as if what pair skaters had to do before wasn't already difficult enough. grrrr I love them, and I think this really stinks.

[Pati]

I just finished reading the book The Second Mark, and I admire this team even more than before.
I love to see a miracle comeback for them. They deserve it!

[Crizzy]

I hope everything goes well. I really love them and this is so heartbreaking

[jlta]

this is such sad news. I wish him a speedy recovery. And hopefully it is not as bad as they think.

This pair brought back my interest to pairs skating. They are so beautiful to watch. Definately my favorites.

[katsk8]

they're my fav pairs yeam as well. i was really rooting for them to get olympic gold. hopefully he will have a quick recovery and stay healthy for many more years.

[millenniummagicz]

that is awful. I was/am totally rooting for them to get to the top of the podium at the Olympics.
but why did he practice a triple triple?

[JaneC]

I'm really really hoping for a miracle at this stage. <img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/frown.gif" />

Jane

[fdevine]

OH No. Next to Michelle, Shen and Zhao are my favorite skaters. I was hoping for a win for them almost as much as for Michelle and could hardly wait to see their programs.

grannie frances

[san diego guy]

For me they were also my second favorite figure skating skaters (the honor goes to MK). I really hope he miraculously has a fast recovery.

[billob]

Apparantly they are hoping for a quigker than expected rehab since they only canceled pre-Olys comps.

I would not count them out yet..

[iluvtodd]

So sorry to hear this news. I love this pair. What a heartbreaker! :(

I hope that Hongbo's surgery & recovery goes as well as possible. Maybe, maybe, there's a chance that they'll make it back to the Olympics?

[PasDeDeux0304]

This is soooo sad :( They are my all-time favorite pairs team. To answer somebody elses question, they were practicing triple/triples because of the new rule change they made this summer. (Correct me if I'm wrong)-The ISU made it so a pair cannot repeat a triple unless it is in the same combination/sequence (a la Obertas and Slavnov). Shen and Zhao only have one triple (toe) and the double axel. So to get 2 triples in, they need it in the same combination/sequence. I find this rule change a little strange b/c it was made so close to the Olympics, it contradicts the rule of repeating a triple in singles skating, and pairs have been doing 2axel-3toe(2toe) and then repeating/doing a 3toe for decades. Why change it all of sudden? Anyways, Shen and Zhao have been working their butts off, and they get paid with injury :( . But if there is good news, its that their programs were made a few months ago, so at least they don't have the pressure of choreographing programs along with all the other things they have to do. I believe in miracles and Shen and Zhao (with what they have been through in their lives) is nothing short of a miracle.

[aaronts]

stinkin......w/o them, Pairs is a snooze IMO. if the russians(bless their consistency) get any more boring(again, IMO) they'll be competing w cross-country skiing for television slots.

i hope for his sake & that of his team that the recovery is speedy, BUT NOT RUSHED!!!~

[aetherae]

NOOOOOOOO!!! Pairs skating isn't worth watching without S&Z. Aaaaaagh.

I really think, though, that if anybody can pull off a miracle comeback, it will be S&Z. They are incredibly tough, and such a wonderful team. The article I found quoted Zhao as saying that he'll been inspired through his recovery by thinking about how brave Shen was when they won Worlds. They're such an incredible pair that I doubt that even this will take them out of contention.

[missmarysgarden]

well, I'm just heartbroken. They are the only reason I watch pairs - which has become snoozarama.

[skatingfan5]

To answer somebody elses question, they were practicing triple/triples because of the new rule change they made this summer. (Correct me if I'm wrong)-The ISU made it so a pair cannot repeat a triple unless it is in the same combination/sequence (a la Obertas and Slavnov). Shen and Zhao only have one triple (toe) and the double axel. So to get 2 triples in, they need it in the same combination/sequence. I find this rule change a little strange b/c it was made so close to the Olympics, it contradicts the rule of repeating a triple in singles skating, and pairs have been doing 2axel-3toe(2toe) and then repeating/doing a 3toe for decades. Why change it all of sudden?The timing of the rule change is very strange indeed -- and even more strange is that it doesn't just apply to triples (or quads, if those should ever become relevant) -- but it also applies to double axels!!!! It is "NO REPEATING JUMPS OF MORE THAN TWO REVOLUTIONS" (unless in a combination/sequence -- i.e. a 3T-3T or 3L-3L would be allowed). No wonder Shen & Zhao were practicing 3T-3T -- under the new rules they couldn't even do a 2A-3T sequence and repeat either the 3T or 2A. Basically the could only do 3T-2T and a double axel, which would lose quite a few points compared to skaters who had both 3T and 3S.

To add to what others have said, I'm hoping against hope for a miracle recovery for Hongbo. I was devastated to read of his injury yesterday.

[ScoobertDieu]

Hongbo WILL get better and he and Shue WILL go to the Olympics, and they WILL win!

[ScoobertDieu]

(Deleted because it posted twice.)

[gratefulmkfan]

Thank you to the 2 people who answered my question. You both reinforced my feelings about CoP. It stinks to high heaven.

I feel like the whole system was designed by deciding "who they want to win" and assigning the elements they can execute higher values. Worse, in pairs, make it illegal to repeat what they do so well. It makes me wonder more why a certain spin position can be used for all 4 spins in a LP (and spiral positions too) for single skaters, when pairs have to learn more than one kind of 3 jump, as if pair skating wasn't hard enough already? That rant, obviously, is on the ISU.

This question is for Shen and Zhao. Isn't it easier to learn a 3salchow, then a 3t/3t, since they are stuck with these lousy rules.

[Dave]

I won't even watch pairs now. I agree with previous poster though, if I'm understanding these changes, why not just learn a salchow? And COP does completely blow. It is the cheating mechanism of all cheating mechanisms. Already proven. Ladies' SP at Worlds. And since? Not a word, no mention, no coverage, no investigation, no one anywhere said "WHAT THE *$#@+ ???!!!" You'd think this was American politics.

:CHO
I love Michelle as a snow bunny!

[Icare]

TREATMENT of Achilles tendon rupture

Treatment of Achilles tendon rupture is controversial. The principal treatment is surgery plus immobilization, or immobilization alone. Early complications from surgery (infection and skin breakdown) occur at higher rates when compared with the rates of immobilization alone (17 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively). Immobilization has a higher rerupture rate than surgery (13.4 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively) and a slower time to full participation in sports.17

The trend in treatment in younger persons who want to return to sports is surgery; casting is preferred for use in older, less active persons. If casting is used, immobilization is recommended for eight to 12 weeks, with at least four weeks of nonweight-bearing. Surgery is usually followed by six to eight weeks of immobilization. The current trend is toward a shorter period of nonweight-bearing (two to three weeks or less). A recent study18 showed that 24 hours of nonweight-bearing followed by six weeks of immobilization with physical therapy and ambulation caused no increase in complications. However, most orthopedic surgeons still recommend the use of crutches for at least two to three weeks before supported ambulation is attempted.

This is from the best site of Achilles tendon rupture:
www.aafp.org/afp/20020501/1805.html (http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020501/1805.html)

Wish him a good recovery.

[mkskatingfan]

That sucks.

[skatingfan5]

agree with previous poster though, if I'm understanding these changes, why not just learn a salchow? Of course, "why not learn a salchow" -- add a triple jump you have never really trained just 8 months before the Olympics. :rolleyes I'm sure that if that were thought to be at all attainable by both Shen and Zhao, that is what they would have been focussing on. After all, a salchow would give a few more fractions of a point than the second triple toe loop would. They were trying to come up with the best chance of not losing TES points given the new rules.

[ros01]

I read in an article that Zhao will be off ice for three months, then won't be able to jump for two more months. Unless his recovery goes much more quickly than expected, that takes them right up to the Olys. I'm sure China will try to send them, but it's really so sad.

Article link:
slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Figure...43-ap.html (http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/FigureSkating/2005/08/10/1166943-ap.html)

[PasDeDeux0304]

Hongbo WILL get better and he and Shue WILL go to the Olympics, and they WILL win!

I love your thinking!

I didn't know that the rule change referred to double axels as well. That does seem even MORE strange.

[millenniummagicz]

doesnt Dull and Duller do a triple salchow and a triple toe? Any other team does 2 differen solo triples in the LP besides them and Zhang and Zhang??

[Joan1940]

My hubby works at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC which is one of the premier orthopedic hospitals in the world - they did Alexei Y's surgery. Prognosis is a full 6 months just for rehabilitation to get normal function. Forget any training in ice skating until that time.

[PasDeDeux0304]

My hubby works at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC which is one of the premier orthopedic hospitals in the world - they did Alexei Y's surgery. Prognosis is a full 6 months just for rehabilitation to get normal function. Forget any training in ice skating until that time.

I appreciate your information. Maybe I'm just living in my own world, but I bet you no doctor would even consider to let Xue skate on an ankle with torn ligiments and look at that result! No one can say for sure now, but they have amazing drive and determination and they won't let this stand in their way as long as they have anything to do with it. Let's just hope for the best!

[skatingfan5]

Petrova and Tikhonov also have a 3Sal and 3Toe, iirc. At Worlds their Salchow was only a double (can't remember which of them doubled the jump). Many pairs were using 3T in both side-by-side jumps.

[GoldenMichelle]

This just breaks my heart :( I will be praying for the quick recovery of Hongbo, and that they will be able to compete at the Olympics. I so love S&Z, and this season just won't be the same without them. I want them to win the OGM almost as much as I want it for Michelle. For them to possibly miss out on the opportunity to even compete would be so sad.

[uglygreekgoddess]

OMG this is the worst news EVER! i wanted them to win SO BAD in turin!!! i'm hoping for some miracle to happen so they can compete and get that gold that they so deserve. i really do not want to see dull and duller on top of the podium with their cocky attitudes.

get well quick hongbo!!

[gratefulmkfan]

skatingfan5, perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. To clarify what I meant, I was trying to understand why he would try the 3/3 combo, which they don't know how to do either. Since they had to learn something new under this rule, isn't it easier to learn a 3 salchow than it is to do a 3/3 combo, even if the combo is the same triple jump? For example, Michelle's 3 toe loop is a beautiful jump, but putting 2 of them together is a lot more difficult, as she has explained. The salchow seems to be the next easiest jump that pair skaters do, so I merely thought it would be easier for them to learn that than to try for a 3/3 combo. Shen and Zhau really touch my heart, and it saddens me that the CoP's rule change happened this season, forcing them to learn another skill. I think pair's skating was difficult and dangerous enough before they slipped this change into the rules.

I wonder how many more injuries CoP will rack up before the big competitions even begin. My prayers are with the skaters, for their health and well-being.

[millenniummagicz]

to learn a new jump isnt hard, but to master it so that you have over 80% consistency (I think the Chinese team have even higher consistency rate) would take a LOT of time, not to mention that you have to synch with another person.

ive always wanted to ask, what if one person doubles or falls on a side by side triple, how would that be scored??

[PasDeDeux0304]

I'm not sure if they were practicing a 3/3 Combination or a 3/3 sequence. They used to do 2axels into 3/toes sequence. subsituting a 3 toe where the double axel was may be easier than learning a new jump. So I would GUESS they were practicing a 3/3 sequence, not necessarily a combination. And then they could do the double axels speparately. Either way, it's very difficult to master in just a few months, especially with his injuries. :(

[MKIcePrincess]

You aint kidding.... this does suck! Poor Shen and Zhao.... I too hope for a SPEEDY RECOVERY so they can get that gold medal! They are my fave pair team so.... augh....

[Eeyora]

WHHHHHYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I am so sad like many of you this is my favorite pairs team. I wanted them to win so badly. Dull and Duller do nothing for me. But if any team is capable of beating the odds it is Shen and Zhao.