Boxer Anja Stridsman ruptures ACL, has dead person's Achilles tendon in knee for Commonwealth Games

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Boxer Anja Stridsman ruptures ACL, has dead person's Achilles tendon in knee for Commonwealth Games

By Chris Dutton
Updated

If Canberra Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson needs a bit of motivation after knee surgery, he should introduce himself to Anja Stridsman - the boxer who will compete at the Commonwealth Games with a dead person's Achilles tendon in her knee.

In a remarkable tale of guts and pure grit to book her ticket to the Gold Coast, Stridsman won her three qualification fights on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament before paying $13,500 to replace her damaged tendon with an Achilles tendon from a corpse.

Anja Stridsman in 2011.

Anja Stridsman in 2011.Credit: Danielle Smith DKS

The Sweden-born graphic designer from Sydney will be based at the AIS in Canberra before the Commonwealth Games, slowly increasing her training to pursue her gold-medal goal in April.

But she feared her dreams had been crushed just eight weeks before the Commonwealth Games trials when her knee twisted awkwardly when she tangled with an opponent in Poland.

It's the same injury that will keep Hodgson out for the bulk of the NRL season next year in a major blow to the Raiders' hopes of breaking back into the finals.

But instead of having surgery immediately, Stridsman opted to box on without an ACL for two months to qualify and then have dip into her savings, take out a loan and get help from family to cover the $13,500 surgery costs.

Stridsman considered having revolutionary LARS surgery or a traditional hamstring replacement, but opted to find a specialist who would use a dead person's Achilles tendon to fix her knee.

The plan is for her to be fit to compete on the Gold Coast just five months after her operation.

"I had tears when I won my three fights to qualify, but even then I didn't know if they would pick me for the Commonwealth Games," Stridsman said after the team was named on Thursday.

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"I can't run right now and I have to be careful of my knee ... but [being at the AIS] I've got a whole team of doctors and physios to help me and make sure I don't push too hard.

"It's five weeks after surgery [on Friday] and when I first did it, the reaction was everyone was, 'you're out, you can't do it'.

"But my coach said some footy players play without an ACL. If they can do it, I can. Every set back I had, I did everything I could to make sure I could keep going forward.

"It's obviously a tight timeframe, but I'm dedicated to getting it down.

Officials are still deciding on what strapping tape or brace Stridsman will be allowed to wear when she's in the ring, but it seems the least of her worries after powering through the pain of a ruptured ACL to secure her spot.

The 30-year-old grew up in Sweden but moved to Australia when she was 19 to further her studies. She has been based here for the past 11 years, and started boxing when she was 23.

But her hopes of representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games were grim when she got injured. Her knee kept collapsing at training and she only decided to compete at the trials just five days before they started.

After she won her fights, she had surgery and such was her determination she was already wriggling her foot as the anesthetic started wearing off. As if that wasn't enough, Stridsman is also back at university to start a double degree.

Boxing Australia are funding her move to Canberra and to use the AIS facilities for training programs and injury rehabilitation.

The Australian Commonwealth Games boxing team.

The Australian Commonwealth Games boxing team.Credit: AIS

She will fight in the 60 kilogram division and join Taylah Robertson, Skye Nicolson, Kaye Scott and Caitlan Parker in the women's team chasing medals on the Gold Coast.

​"I know it's crazy, but I'm so happy to be here," Stridsman said.

"I don't know whose tendon is it that they gave me, but I know the Achilles tendon is thicker and it will become my ACL. It's quite fascinating.

"Boxing Australia is investing in me to get to the Games now, so I want to be there. This was a freak accident and I'm just so happy that I've still got the opportunity to compete."

COMMONWEALTH GAMES BOXING TEAMS

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Women: Taylah Robertson (51kg), Skye Nicolson (57kg), Anja Stridsman (60kg), Kaye Scott (69kg), Caitlin Parker (75kg).

Men: Jack Bowen (56kg), Harry Garside (60kg), Liam Wilson (64kg), Terry Nickolas (69kg), Campbell Somerville (75kg), Clay Waterman (81kg), Jason Whateley (91kg), Toese Vousiutu (91+kg).

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