Casey Kopua's comeback from a devastating knee injury has gathered pace with the star defender warming up on court with her Magic side at the weekend for the first time this season.
Kopua took part in the Magic's warm-up drills ahead of their 63-57 win over the Southern Steel in Invercargill on Saturday, marking another important milestone in her recovery from a ruptured patella tendon she suffered during the Constellation Cup series in October last year.
At the beginning of the year Kopua said she had been told by medical staff not to get her hopes up of returning to the court during the ANZ Championship season, as it would put unnecessary pressure on her. But the recent developments are a promising sign the inspirational defender could make an appearance for the Magic this year, as she chases her ultimate goal of leading the Silver Ferns at the World Cup in August.
Kopua last week took part in a full court session with the Magic for the first time.
Off the court, the 1.88m defender continues the painstaking process of rebuilding the power and strength in the muscles supporting her repaired knee, with plyometric exercises having recently been introduced to her regime. There are days when Kopua spends up to 12 hours at the Cambridge Avantidrome high-performance training facility.
