CHN - Yao confident he will be ready for WCM

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BEIJING (FIBA World Championship) - China star Yao Ming is confident he will overcome a broken foot and play at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

The 7ft 5in center Yao has targeted the August 7 warm-up clash against Team USA as a chance to prove his fitness ahead of the big tournament, which tips off on August 19.

"I had a check-up, we took some pictures of it, the bone is growing back well," Yao said as part of a web chat with fans on www.sina.com.

"The problem is that my left foot was injured for a long period and the muscle group is not in good shape ... this will have to wait until I start practice with the national team and the problem will gradually be resolved.

"I'll try to get ready for Dream Team Seven (Team USA). If I can play in the game against Dream Team Seven, then there won't be any problem with the games afterwards.

"I am 80% okay. I think the recovery has been quite good and better than we expected.

"Last month through daily training I regained my form step-by-step and I hope to be 95% recovered by the upcoming warm-up competition."

Yao said he also planned to play in the Stankovic Cup in Nanjing from August 11-15, which will include teams from France, Germany, Greece, Australia and Brazil.

As for China’s aims at the Worlds, Yao was realistic.

He added: “Our goal is to get to the final eight. As far as the team is concerned, we still have not broken through to the top tier, so the best is that we take the eighth spot.

"If we want to go farther then it is going to take a lot of effort."

By PA Sport
Exclusively for FIBA