AUS/RUS – Injuries knock Taylor, Stepanova out of London Games
MELBOURNE (Olympics) - Penny Taylor will not play at the Olympics for Australia because of the knee injury she suffered during the EuroLeague Women Final Eight.
The Opals star has had it confirmed that she tore her ACL while playing for Fenerbahce.
The MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women will have surgery next week in Melbourne.
“I am obviously disappointed at not being available to play with the Jayco Opals in London,” Taylor said in a statement issued by Basketball Australia.
“Playing for Australia has always been my highest priority and missing this Olympics is devastating.”
Australia share the number two spot in the FIBA World Rankings for Women with Russia and Taylor will be sorely missed.
“You simply cannot replace a player of her caliber and her loss is definitely a huge blow,” Basketball Australia chief executive officer Larry Sengstock said.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a part of sport and we are fortunate that Australia has deep reserves of talent from which to draw.
“The loss of Penny, while tragic, creates an opportunity for another player to grab a ticket to London and will only make the competition at upcoming Jayco Opals training camps even more fierce.”
The 30-year-old Taylor was not the only leading international to go down with a serious knee injury at the Final Eight.
Russia’s four-time Olympic center Maria Stepanova also tore her ACL and was knocked out of the Olympics while playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg.
Her teammate, Ilona Korstin, said to FIBA.com of Stepanova: “It’s very, very bad news for us and I’m disappointed for us, not only me but everybody – all of us in basketball.
“I think now, we don’t have any solution but only to take a new player. We have some young players like Natalia Vieru or Ekaterina Lisina. Now, the young players have some more chances to come into the Olympic team and also show they are here and can help the team.
“But of course for us, it’s very bad news. We’ll find a solution, I’m sure.”
