IT will take roughly three months for squash player S. Sivasangari to recover from her injuries sustained in a fiery car crash on Sunday.
But whether the injuries will have a lasting effect on her game remains to be seen.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who visited Sivasangari at the Putrajaya Hospital today, said the 23-year-old is "in good spirits".
"Sivasangari has suffered injuries to her face and spine (C1). However, her condition is stable now," said Faizal when met at the hospital.
"She will be monitored closely by the doctors here over the next few days.
"She was able to speak a little, and she told me that she was determined to recover. It will take roughly three months for her to heal.
"She is currently on holiday here (from studying in the United States). On the day of the accident, she was staying at her friend's house. Her parents were undergoing quarantine due to Covid-19."
Putrajaya Hospital deputy director Dr Khairol Anwar said it is too early to say whether Sivasangari will require additional surgeries.
Dr. Khairol declined to reveal the number of surgeries Sivasangari has undergone so far.
"She sustained some lacerations on the face. It is not appropriate for me to reveal everything to the media, but she is stable under observation. We have a team of specialists from multi-disciplines attending to her," said Dr Khairol.
"Including rehabilitation and everything, it will take roughly three months to recover.
"But for me, it is honestly too early for us to speculate on whether she will play or not play (again). As the minister said, let's focus on her recovery first, and then after that we will see.
"Of course, upon the initial recovery period, she will have to go through rehabilitation and training before she can represent the country again."
Birmingham Commonwealth Games deputy chef de mission Gerard Monteiro hopes the other squash players in the team will step up their game in Sivasangari's absence.
"We have yet to select a replacement for Sivasangari in the team. That will have to be done soon as the closing date for registration is on the 29th (June)," said Gerard.
Gerard, also the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia president, added that there is likely to be a revision of the gold medal target for the Commonwealth Games.
Sivasangari was earmarked as a potential gold medallist for the games.
