Injury Derails Lobaznyuk's Career
2001 was a year Lobaznyuk would love to forget. At the Russian Cup that year, while performing one of her signature Yurchenko vaults, she landed very hard on the mat and collapsed in extraordinary pain; she had to be picked up and carried off by one of her coaches. It was revealed later that she had torn the ACL and MCL in her right knee, and surgery would be needed, which would sideline her for the remainder of the year. She had not one, but two surgeries, since the first one in Moscow, Russia was not performed properly; the second was done in Johannesburg, South Africa, while visiting the city and country for a rehabilitation stint. The second seemed to go well, and she returned to training in late January 2002.
The next month Lobaznyuk attempted a comeback at the Russian National Championships, performing on beam and floor exercise only while her surgically repaired knee attempted to heal. She did OK in the eyes of national team coaches, but not well enough to rejoin the team, as other, younger gymnasts were coming along to take her place. With very little chance to come back for her country, Lobaznyuk made a hard decision and decided to call it quits, retiring shortly thereafter.
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