A 19-year-old footballer of the Indian women’s team underwent a unique procedure at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital here for a ligament tear on Friday.
B. Mariammal sustained a ligament tear, common among sportspersons, in her left knee while practising at the Khelo India camp in Chennai three weeks ago. “I was faking the ball when I twisted my leg and knew immediately that I had injured the knee,” she said. “My friends said I would be okay if I took rest it but I knew I would need a surgery.” She was referred by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu to M. Leonard Ponraj, head of arthroscopy and sports injury department at the hospital.
Mariammal hails from Tiruchi and her father Balamurugan works in a powerloom in Salem. She learned to play football by watching her brother, now a State player. Since Class VII, she has been playing the sport and is a student of SDAT Namakkal Hostel of Excellence and is a second year student of B.A. Tamil at A.V.S. Arts and Science College, Salem. The left forward striker represented India in the Asian football league in Iran in 2022; in friendly matches against Brazil in 2021 and Sweden in October 2021, and has scored 12 goals.
