By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University star pole-vaulter Zac Chandler was on top of his game last indoor season before everything was taken away in an instant with a torn achilles tendon.
Washburn University pole-vaulter Zac Chandler is scheduled to compete on Saturday as he continues his comeback from an achilles injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Former Washburn Rural state pole vault champ Zac Chandler will return to action for Washburn University on Saturday, 10 months after suffering a serious achilles injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Ten months later Chandler's recovery still isn't complete, but the former Washburn Rural state champion has progressed to the point that he's ready to return to action in Saturday's Washburn Alumni Invitational at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
"I'd say I'm 80 percent overall,'' Chandler said. "Some days I feel 100 and some days I feel like I'm 20 percent. Our practices kind of look like whatever the warmups feel like is what I'll do.
"I just kind of do half of what everyone else does, but that in the longterm will help me to get better. I take smarter reps than I ever have before.''
Chandler has competed in 30 events as an Ichabod with 17 top-10 finishes and has the second-best mark in program history on the indoor record charts at 4.90 meters (16 feet, 0.75 inches) and has five of the top seven jumps overal. Chandler is also ranked second outdoors on the WU record chart with three of the top 10 jumps in school history.
Chandler recorded his PR en route to winning the pole vault title in last season's Washburn Alumni Invitational and he recordedd five top-five finishes during the indoor season before tearing his left achilles on Feb. 2 and having surgery on Feb. 22.
"We were at a criossroads of jumping pretty high, making some big progress, and I just pushed it too far,'' Chandler said. "I didn't take care of my body the best and I didn't listen to myself.
"February 22nd we had surgery and the next day I recovered and I think three days later I was already back to work. It's a process. I went from crutches to a boot, back to crutches to heel lifts to limping around to kind of maybe jogging around here and there. Right at the end of summer was when I could kind of jump.
"The doctor said, 'It's 12 months,' and he was pretty firm on that. But you know what, I think in the longterm it's made me a better athlete.''
Washburn head coach Cameron Babb is thrilled with the progress Chandler has made.
"Zac is doing real well,'' Babb said. "He's come back from his achilles injury, which was a pretty bad one, but he's battled through it and done everything he could, and more, to get back to jumping.
"I'm pretty excited to see him getting over bars again in practice and looking good.''
Chandler, who cleared 15-6 as a senior at Rural, admits there have been some tough days during his recovery, but he said he has tackled the long rehab process head on.
"It was frustrating and heartbreaking, but I never back down from a challenge,'' he said. "I love a challenge and because I have the amazing support network I do I'm able to fall back on a net that allows me to bounce back. From the coaches to my athletic trainer, to my parents and the athletes and my church community, all of them stayed behind me and they've made this recovery a breeze.
"There were days I'd feel down and they'd pick me up quick.''
