Fragile Volleyballer's Return Postponed

Fragile Volleyballer's Return Postponed

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Chinese women's volleyball head coach Chen Zhonghe has decided to again postpone the comeback of fragile spiker Zhao Ruirui for fears of unexpected relapses.




Beijing-based sports newspaper, The First, reports that the coach on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of Zhao's return at the Asian Championships, set in September, saying the event is unlikely to help the player regain her match fitness.

Chen said he hoped Zhao's recovery to her original form could be felt smoothly.

Zhao's physical condition has turned for the better since treatment earlier this year in the United States. The surgery aims to cure the injury in her leg that has affected her for years, and kept her sidelined in Athens in 2004, where China re-claimed the women's volleyball title after a 20-year wait.

(CRI July 25, 2007)