SHORTLY after the national synchronised squad announced the team combination gold medallists yesterday, Zylane Lee Ying Huey could not hold back the tears.
The national synchronised squad bagged all five gold medals at stake in Palembang.
The Selangor swimmer could have been paralysed if her routine had gone wrong at the Jakabaring Aquatic Centre.
Zylane was told to rest for six weeks after sustaining an injury to her neck in training but the 19-year-old defied her doctor's orders to compete in Palembang.
"My doctor told me I could be paralysed if I continued with training and competition. I was told to rest for six weeks after I got kicked in the neck twice, once late last month and the other time, about 10 days ago," said Zylane, a matriculation student with the Bukit Jalil Sports School, yesterday.
"I could have been paralysed today (yesterday) as I got kicked once again by a teammate during my entry into the pool. It was the most painful four or five minutes of my life as I had to concentrate on my routines and also coordinate with the rest.
"I forced myself to synchronise my twists and turns despite the pain as I was determined not to let down my team. At that point, I thought I would be paralysed as my back was awfully painful."
Zylane applied an ice pack to her back after the prize giving ceremony before she was taken to the medical room for further treatment. Thankfully it was later diagnosed that her problem was not serious.
"I am glad to win the gold after missing out on the opening four competitions due to injury. I've won and luckily my injury was not serious. I will now take my six-week rest before I continue with my training," she said.
The 10-member team comprising Shareen Png, Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi, Mandy Yeap, Emanuelle Mah, Ling Yeo Ping, Yu Gan Zhen, Tay May Mei, Tasha Jane Taher Ali, Zylane and Zyanne, earned 75.363 for their performance to the song Rio de Janeiro.
Singapore took silver with a 73.101 total ahead of Indonesia on 71.713.
The victory meant the national synchronised swimmers bagged all five gold medals at stake in Palembang with Shareen and Katrina Ann having a stake in each triumph.
Coach Long Yan said her team were unsure of victory in yesterday's event due to Zylane's injury.
"It was the most difficult gold medal for my girls but each of them, especially Zylane, put up a great performance to win the title.
"Our next event is the Olympic Qualifiers in April and I hope our girls will be more confident going into the event after our success here," said Long Yan, a former China international.
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