Training video spurs concern for Colombia's Caicedo ahead of Women's World Cup match versus Germany
Colombia's Linda Caicedo, left, and South Korea's JI So-yun compete for the ball during the Women's World Cup Group H soccer match between Colombia and South Korea at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Rick Rycroft
SYDNEY — Colombian star forward Linda Caicedo, an 18-year-old cancer survivor, put a hand to her chest and voluntarily dropped down to the ground in a video of a Women’s World Cup training session posted to social media Thursday by a Colombian media outlet.
But she appears to be OK.
The same outlet, DSPORTS, later posted a video of Caicedo up and juggling a ball, captioning the video “With Normality” and “Linda Caicedo trains alongside her teammates.”
The Colombia team on Friday said Caicedo was just tired, and confirmed she's okay.
Caicedo, who scored in Colombia’s opening 2-0 win over South Korea, will be needed for Colombia’s group-stage match Sunday against two-time Women’s World Cup champion Germany. A win would guarantee Colombia a spot in the knockout round.
A draw or loss would keep Colombia’s fate unresolved until the last day of the group stage.
In an interview that the Colombia Football Federation sent to media after 11 p.m. Thursday, the team’s trainer, Andrés Gómez, told media that the team’s medical staff evaluated Caicedo. He did not elaborate on when the evaluation was done, so it's unknown if it was after the training.
Colombia's Linda Caicedo reacts after scoring her first goal during the Women's World Cup Group H soccer match between Columbia and South Korea at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Sophie Ralph
“The report was positive,” he said, later adding, “we found it good.”
He was not asked about her status for the Germany match and did not specifically address it.
Caicedo’s goal against South Korea made her the tournament’s youngest goal scorer so far.
At the Under-17 Women’s World Cup last year, Caicedo led Colombia to the final and finished in a three-way tie for most goals in the tournament.
Colombia's Linda Caicedo goes for the ball during the Women's World Cup Group H soccer match between Colombia and South Korea at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Rick Rycroft
When she was 15, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. By that time she had already debuted for the Colombian senior national team as well as for pro team América de Cali.
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Zeke Palermo is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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