Diver Taylor Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

LONDON, June 22. OLYMPIC silver medalist Leon Taylor has undergone surgery to an injured shoulder as the diver continues his battle to be fit in time for next year's World Championships. A platform specialist, Taylor, who also won bronze at the 2005 World Championships, underwent surgery on Tuesday in an effort to solve the long-standing problem so he can pursue his aims of competing in Melbourne next spring and the Olympics in 2008.

It's the fourth time Taylor, who lives and trains in Sheffield, has received surgery on his shoulder but the Cheltenham-born diver is staying positive and hopes the latest operation will eradicate the issue that forced him to pull out of the Commonwealth Games on the eve of competition.

"It's going to be a very tough journey back but if the operation achieves what it set out to do then I can look forward to diving again before the end of the year," said the 28-year-old. "The surgery was designed to give my shoulder more room to move but the team also spotted and repaired a partial tear within the joint. This means my rehabilitation is going to be longer than I originally hoped for and I'm looking at three months now before I can test it."

It's an unfortunate setback for Taylor who cancelled his season on his return from the Commonwealth Games but he still feels confident his aims for the year are still achievable.

"The positive is that it still gives me enough time to be fit again before the National Championships in December,” he said. “That has always been my target as it will be my chance to qualify for next year's World Championships. I'll be wearing a sling for the next two weeks so there isn't too much I can do. I'm able to use a static bike for cycling to try to keep my fitness up and physiotherapists are gently moving the shoulder joint to keep it mobile."

Taylor was in surgery on Tuesday morning but made sure he was awake, albeit a bit groggy, to watch England's World Cup match against Sweden that evening.

"There was no way I was going to miss the match,” he said. “I had an injection into a nerve to numb the arm and the pain, and managed to watch the game although I was pretty bleary eyed."

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