Daiane surprises doctors and has surgery on her knee

Daiane dos Santos went in on Thursday for surgery on her right knee. She had a piece of titanium removed that had been implanted in an operation last year in October. Nobody expected her to be ready so soon.

The initial estimate of orthopedic Wagner Castropil was that the plate would not be removed until the end of the year. The object was used to correct the knee joint of the athlete. The doctor described Daiane's recovery as surprising.

"I didn't think we could do the surgery now. The forecast was more optimistic than could be anticipated. But Daiane has been very disciplined and motivated, which accelerated the process. I admire her even more now," he said in an interview.

"It is natural that for an athlete to be discouraged after a surgery. But she has remained in training, didn't put on weight, and never missed a single session of physiotherapy. She is very dedicated."

Daiane was also happy with the withdrawal of the plate which prevented her from training on all apparatus. "It's the first surgery which has gone so well. After recovering, I will need to strengthen my muscles."

Daiane has been training daily at the Pinheiros Sports Club in Sao Paolo, but only on UB. Now, she is thinking about returning to competition, which she only expected to be able to do next year.

"The goal is to be ready for Worlds this year. But most important is to be ready for the qualifying tournament for Pre-Olympic, which happens next year," she concluded.