Former U of S Huskie Nelson Lokombo ready to roll for Riders after achilles injury
SASKATOON - - It was immediately apparent to Nelson Lokombo that something serious had happened to his achilles tendon during the Saskatchewan Roughriders shortened training camp of 2021.
“I knew right away. I heard it,” he said.
“When you accidentally kick someone in the back of the cleat, that’s what it sounded like. It was loud.”
The former University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout says his leg was in a cast, and even walking was difficult for three to four months following surgery to repair his torn achilles.
“That first month was probably the toughest month of my life,” he said. “Every time it felt like mentally I could do more, but body-wise I couldn’t.”
“It was getting over the hurdle of feeling like I could walk but I couldn’t walk yet, and then being able to walk and feeling I could run, but I can’t run yet, and then running and feeling (like) I could sprint. That’s kind of how it went."
Lokombo went through months of rehabilitation; stretching, calf raises, massage and laser work, shock therapy, and pool work to get to the point where he could play again.
“It was a relief,” Lokombo said of getting back to regular workouts.
“I was just worried that I wouldn’t be able to run as fast as I could, or be as explosive as I once was.”
Head coach Craig Dickenson says he’s looking to see growth out of Lokombo, and the team is taking things slowly getting him back up to full speed.
“We don't want to another injury because he's a key guy for us,” said Dickenson.
“He's done everything we've asked in camp, and I think he's going to have a good year.”
Despite Lokombo easing back into things, first year defensive backs coach Marcus Klund says he can already see the raw athleticism that made him the second overall pick in the 2021 CFL draft.
“That he looks the way he does at about 90, 95 per cent, man I'm excited see what he is at 100 per cent,” said Klund.
Dickenson says when a healthy Lokombo will be on the field for the Riders in 2022, either on special teams or on defence, while Klund says he could see him lining up at any position in the secondary.
“When you got a high draft pick like him, the expectation is to come in and be a guy. That's what we bring him in here to do and he's drafted to do that, so there's a lot of expectations for him to come in and be the guy," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Anti-war protest ruffles University of Michigan as demonstrations collide with graduation season
Protesters chanted anti-war messages and waved Palestinian flags during the University of Michigan's commencement Saturday, as student demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war collided with the annual pomp-and-circumstance of graduation season at American universities.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.