 |
| Abby Wambach |
In the wake of U.S. swimmer Eric Shanteau going public that he has cancer, comes more bad news for the U.S. Olympic squad. Last night, during an exhibition game with Brazil, Abby Wambach, who leads the U.S. women’s soccer team in scoring, broke her left leg and will not be able to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After colliding with Andreia Rosa, a Brazilian defender, staff helped Wambach off the field and took her to San Diego’s Sharp Memorial Hospital. Doctors determined Wambach suffered a mid-shaft oblique fracture of the tibia and fibula. She’ll go under the knife today to have a titanium rod inserted into her leg.
Wambach’s injury could spell trouble for the U.S.’s chances of repeating as Olympic gold medalists. She currently has 13 goals and 10 assists for the teams, and with 99 goals, remains one of the top scorers in U.S. history. And, of course, this was the last exhibition the U.S. squad had scheduled before heading to Beijing, where it will begin it gold medal quest on August 6 against Norway.
Wambach doesn’t seem worried, however. From the emergency room she said, “Obviously, it’s devastating, but above everything else, I’m only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player. I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold.”
The U.S. team went on to beat Brazil last night 1-0.
