PARA-ATHLETE Juliana Ngleya Moko collapsed at the World Championships after temperatures soared above 30C in Dubai.
Medics were forced to rush to the aid of the runner during the women’s 400m T11 final at the World-Para Athletics Championships after she collapsed amidst the horrendous weather conditions.
Juliana Ngleya Moko was taken off the track in a wheelchair after collapsingCredit: EPA
Juliana Ngleya Moko collapsed as the temperatures soared in DubaiCredit: EPA
Moko was taken off the track in a wheelchair as she became the latest star to struggle with the soaring temperatures in the Middle East.
Worrying pictures showed the Angolan runner lying flat on the track before she was eventually taken to safety, slumped in the wheelchair.
After the incident, governing body – World Para-Athletics – said it was “constantly monitoring temperature and humidity.”
Their statement added: “World Para-Athletics has a heat countermeasure policy that has been successfully applied to previous events such as the Doha 2015 World Championships and the Berlin 2018 European Championships.
“The same protocol will guide the operations in Dubai and also at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“World Para-Athletics and the local organising committee will be constantly monitoring temperature and humidity during the World Championships.
“The average temperatures in the region were one of the factors taken into account when planning the competition schedule.
“Dubai has hosted para-athletics events for more than a decade and many teams and athletes are familiar with the conditions they will find during the World Championships.”
Juliana Ngleya Moko was taken off in a wheelchair after collapsingCredit: EPA
Medics raced to help Juliana Ngleya Moko after she collapsedCredit: EPA
British para-athlete Kadeena Cox, 28, had earlier revealed her fears over competing in the scorching Dubai heat.
Cox told BBC Sport: “It’s very, very hot. Unfortunately, I’m heat intolerant.”
“I tend not to go in heat, I avoid the bath, I have lukewarm showers – and now I am throwing myself into the heat of Dubai and trying to run.
“But it’s a challenge and we’ve got a lot of strategies to try and keep me cool.”
Earlier this year, a number of competitors collapsed in Doha, Qatar as temperatures rose to worrying levels.
In one particularly touching moment, Braima Suncar Dabo sacrificed his own time to help stricken Jonathan Busby in the men’s 5,000m heats.
With one lap to go, the Guinea-Bissau athlete stopped running after noticing that Aruba’s Busby was struggling and could barely stand up.
He put his arm around his opponent’s shoulder and carefully guided, sometimes dragged, him to the finishing line along the final lap – with the crowd cheering him home.
Marathon runners were also left wiped out by the heat, despite the race being held at midnight in a desperate bid to tackle the conditions.
Incredible moment Braima Suncar Dabo helps Jonathan Busby cross finishing line at the World Athletics Championships in Doha
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
