Kenya 7s' Chrissant Ojwang shares hardest moment during injury rehabilitation
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 15.02.25. | 07:29
Now in the third and final month of his recovery, Ojwang remains optimistic about his progress
Kenya 7s’ Chrissant Ojwang has opened up about his challenging journey through injury rehabilitation, detailing the physical and emotional toll it has taken on him.
The Nakuru RFC center suffered a serious leg injury during the final day of the Dubai 7s tournament in December, just moments after coming on as a second-half substitute in the ninth-place playoff match against Ireland.
Now in the third and final month of his recovery, Ojwang remains optimistic about his progress.
Mozzart Sport caught up with him during a training session and he was glad to be getting better.
“On a scale of 1-10, I can tell that my recovery is now at 6. Based on the prescription and the medical report, I was given three months, so I just have to go by the timeline. I am in my second month, starting my third month today (Thursday 13), so hopefully by March I will be okay,” Ojwang shared.
Rehabilitation, however, has not been an easy road. The toughest part, he admitted, was the post-surgery phase.
“The hardest part of recovery was the rehabilitation phase where they have to get rid of the tissues, post-surgery, the range of motion which were a bit painful, but now I am okay,” Ojwang explained.
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The injury itself was a harrowing experience for the player. He was stretchered off the pitch, and after first aid, he had to undergo surgery.
“The worst part of the rehabilitation phase was when I first set eyes on my leg. It was a complete syndesmosis, and my leg was facing the other side. I talked to my Team Manager (TM) and told him that it could be the end of me playing. But after surgery, I felt better and here I am running and hoping,” he painfully recalled.
Ojwang went on to explain how the incident affected his mental health, describing it as a sight no athlete would wish on themselves.
“It was more of a trauma, so it was very bad for my mental health,” he averred.
One key lesson he has taken from this experience is the importance of warm-ups.
“I will not take warm-ups for granted anymore. Most of the time, our strength and conditioning coach always reminds us to prioritize self-preparation. If you walk straight to the match without proper warm-ups, your muscles are not active and most likely you’ll tear a muscle or two,” he revealed.
Despite the hardship, Ojwang found strong support in his team, particularly TM Steven Sewe.
“My number one support system was the TM. He was the only person in the surgery room in Dubai. We flew together to Kenya, and he ensured I was home safe before joining the team in Cape Town. Everybody played a part. The technical bench and players were all worried,” he said.
We chatted shortly with his coach Kevin Wambua on his probable return to action. The tactician remained cautious about his return.
“It is too early to say anything about Ojwang. He was injured in December and it is now February, we do not want to rush him. We have able players who can fill that space,” Wambua said.
Shujaa are currently sharpening claws in readiness for the fourth leg of the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series; Vancouver 7s slated for Friday 21 to Sunday 23 February in Canada.
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