A US sprinter suffered a collapsed lung after he impaled himself on a javelin while running backwards.
Elija Godwin was rushed to hospital with the sharp object still lodged inside of him, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
The University of Georgia athlete was doing a drill with his team-mates when he fell backwards into a javelin that was pointing out of the ground.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and ground off part of the spear that was sticking out of him.
He was then rushed to hospital and underwent surgery to remove the remains from inside of him.
Godwin, who clocked a personal best of 10.47 seconds in the 100 meter event in March, was left with wounds to his back and shoulder.
A statement from the University of Georgia read: “He was transported to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. He underwent surgery and is in a stable condition.
“A full recovery is expected, according to UGA Director of Sports Medicine Ron Courson.”
Greg McGarity, who is Georgia’s athletic director, claimed no one is to blame after the horrific incident.
He said: “It was truly an accident. Nobody threw anything or anything like that.”
Godwin is expected to make a full recovery, but will miss the rest of the season.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
