SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Skating
SLAM! Stojko
COLUMNS
REVIEW
INTERACTIVE
ALSO ON SLAM!
Fate now awaits injured Derochie
Late last night, the 24-year-old from Carlsbad Springs was working feverishly with a doctor on a hip flexor injury she aggravated during practice yesterday afternoon. Derochie suffered the injury on a fall during her practice before Monday's qualifying round, and pulled the muscle again yesterday when she over-rotated on a triple lutz.
She limited herself to double jumps in her evening practice, and planned to skip this morning's workout to further heal before the short program today.
"If I fell in practice (this morning), there wouldn't be time to get (the muscle) ready for the short program," said Derochie, who "could barely walk" in the hours after re-injuring herself. "It won't hurt unless I pop it again, but I don't plan on falling today (in the short) and I don't plan on popping it again."
Depending on how the muscle on her right side holds up today -- and where she places -- Derochie will have a decision to make about tomorrow's free skate final. She is hoping to avoid the fate of Emanuel Sandhu, who failed to get past the men's short program. Only 24 women qualify for tomorrow night's free skate, and Derochie plans to be there.
"If I have my way, I'll be competing (tomorrow), even if I can't walk," said Derochie, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club. "I won't be pulling out if I can help it. I don't want my first worlds to end that way. Anything I can do to get through this, I'll do it."
The situation is eerily reminiscent of last year's world championships in Lausanne, when Susan Humphreys of Edmonton had to pull out after the short program with an infection in her ankle.