PETALING JAYA: Dealing with injuries is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges in an athlete’s life.
And men’s singles shuttler Jacky Kok (pic) can attest to this after enduring a frustrating year due to right knee and ankle injuries.
Jacky only managed to compete in nine tournaments in total this year.
His lack of tournaments had seen him drop from No. 114 in the world in the beginning of the year to No. 203.
“It’s been a really tough year for me as whenever I recovered and returned to play in tournaments after an injury, I will be sidelined again not long after with another injury,” lamented Jacky.
“I couldn’t maintain my performance too in the tournaments that I played in.
“I have been discussing with the physiotherapist on how to improve my physical condition.
“I’m working on strengthening my knee and ankle and hopefully I can avoid getting injured again next year.”
The 21-year-old is currently back in training after recovering from an ankle injury picked up in the World Tour Super 100 Indonesian Masters in October.
“I returned to training two weeks ago and I’m nearing full fitness,” said Jacky.
“I’m looking forward to returning to competitions next year. My main target is to improve my rankings again.”
Jacky is also out to repay the faith shown in him by his coaches after he was retained in the national team.
This was after he had seen his teammates Lee Shun Yang, Chia Jeng Hon and Rex Hooi dropped after undergoing a performance review process.
“I’m grateful to my coaches for still believing in me,” said Jacky.
“I hope to repay the faith they have shown in me.”
