Injury concerns for Netherlands’ Van Iersel ahead of next week's World Championships
Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands, who withdrew from the women’s Main Draw of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Beijing Grand Slam on Thursday due to a back injury, is in a race to be fit for next week’s FIVB Swatch World Championships powered by smart in Rome.
Van Iersel teamed up with Sanne Keizer to win their first two FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour titles in Shanghai and Myslowice, but they lost two round robin matches in a row on Wednesday before walking way from the third round scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
“She felt pain in her back in their first training here in Beijing and she thought it’s probably because of the flight,” said FIVB on-site medical delegate Professor Mamadou Ndoye, who checked the player before signing a paper saying that she should not play the remaining match. “She was affected by the injury in the first and second matches.”
“It’s not very serious, but she can’t make some movements, I think it will take about 10 days for her to recover,” he added. “She will need to get a medical certificate to prove she is fit to play again if she recovers sooner than expected.”
The double gender World Championships will kick off in Rome, Italy on Monday.
“I’m not sure about her injury, I think she will be OK next week,” said Dutch men's player Emiel Boersma.
Van Iersel/Keizer checked out of the official hotel early Friday morning.
