|
Efi Sfyri is a Greek National; she competed
in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games in Beach
Volley Ball after overcoming an injury that had threatened
to end her sporting career. Efi
is 35 years old; she is a Coastal Policeman in Greece and
also a professional beach volleyball player, she was seeded
6th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In her spare time she
plays squash and tennis. Efi had no previous history of
ligament damage prior to her injury in 2000.
At the beginning of 2000 she tore her right ACL (anterior
cruciate ligament) in a sporting accident; she was operated
on by Mr Greg Papadopoulos in Athens on October 9th. He
reinforced her torn ACL with an artificial ligament (LARS)
so that the torn ACL could heal and be as strong, if not
stronger than before the operation. Efi left the hospital
walking and not in a brace or a wheelchair. The surgery
which is cutting edge technology allowed |
|
 |
|
Efi describes how after the operation she
walked on the first day, was driving within one week and on
the eighth day she returned to the gym. She started with
slow careful exercises to keep her knee safe, but also to
maintain her fitness levels. Efi said that the first month
after the operation her life as a professional player was
obviously more limited and slower, but after 6 months she
was back to pre injury fitness levels.
Efi says “the operation was really
important to the future of my career, the funny thing is
that 11 months after the operation I became the European
Champion. I won the Gold medal in Beach Volley Ball in Italy
2001 and had great success the following year, Bronze medal
Rhodes 2002. Without the operation this would have never
been possible.” In total, in 2001 Efi competed in 12 major
volleyball tournaments, some of which resulted in medal
positions. |
