EVEN before tragedy struck in the family, June Mar Fajardo disclosed he already shed a lot of weight to prevent another major injury that kept him out for more than a season in the PBA.
The 6-foot-9 Fajardo couldn’t exactly say how much weight he lost since coming back for San Miguel and helping in its campaign to regain the Philippine Cup championship it lost to Barangay Ginebra last season.
But by his own estimate, Fajardo said he had shed at least 20 pounds since undergoing procedure for the shin injury he suffered early in 2020.
“Almost 260 or below 260 (ako), pero before nasa 280 ako. Kailangan ko talagang magpapayat,” said the six-time MVP.
The weight loss, according to Fajardo, had to be made in order to lessen the pressure on his feet.
Apparently, the excess poundage told heavily on the base of his legs that eventually led to a fractured tibia which needed two operations before it fully healed.
“Kailangan talaga magpapayat para hindi masyadong pressure sa tuhod ko,” said the 31-year-old big man, who is still grieving the loss of her mother last month.
“Kailangan ko ring alagaan yung katawan ko kasi katawan yung puhunan (natin).”
Fajardo thanked doctors and nurses at the St. Luke’s Hospital led by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jose Raul Canlas for the successful procedure on his shin, as well as SMC management led by president and CEO Ramon S. Ang for the all-out support given to him as he recovered from the injury for more than a year.
Twice-to-beat
The shin injury forced Fajardo sit out the entire Philippine Cup bubble last year, which saw the Beermen fail to defend their title after being booted out by the Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals despite holding a twice-to-beat-advantage.
With Fajardo back on board, the Beermen are looking to regain their status as the top all-Filipino team in the league. They finished as the No. 4 seeded team at the end of the eliminations and will face fifth-seeded squad NorthPort in the best-of-three series that starts on Sunday.
Fajardo has yet to get back his old form and averaged 11.8 points on 54 percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds (third in the league), 1.6 assists, and 1.1 block shots in 27.5 minutes of play per game.
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