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Cardiac arrest after medal celebration – British stewards save boxing coaches’ lives
Kilichev (right) celebrates Dusmatov's victory – and soon after dramatic scenes unfold.
Source: Reuters
Two members of the British team become heroes outside the boxing ring: saving the life of an Uzbek coach when he suffers a cardiac arrest while celebrating his medal. The rescuers stress the importance of acting quickly.
DThe Paris Olympics have produced many heroes – and the greatest feats have often taken place far from the venues of competition. Two members of the Great Britain support staff are certainly among them: they saved the life of the head coach of the Uzbek boxing team.
Tolkin Kilichev celebrates Uzbekistani boxer Hasanboy Dusmatov’s gold medal on the Roland Garros warm-up court on Thursday evening. The boxer had just beaten Frenchman Bilal Bennamah on points and there was a huge celebration of his success. But then Kilichev suffered a cardiac arrest. “The technical team came to the warm-up area and celebrated. “Then there were screams from this area that were definitely not part of the celebrations,” one of the physiotherapists involved, Robbie Lillis, was quoted as saying by British media outlet TalkSport.
Fortunately for Kilichev, Lillis and the British team doctor, Harj Singh, were nearby and rushed to his aid. They performed CPR and used a defibrillator. The first attempt was still unsuccessful. But then came the great relief.
“Speed is the be-all and end-all”
“After 20 to 30 seconds, after Haraj continued to do chest compressions, he suddenly regained consciousness, which was amazing,” Lillis said. “I hope he makes a full recovery.” He stressed that “speed is the most important thing and I am very grateful that we had the equipment and that Haraj and I were on site and trained.”
Kelichev was then taken to the hospital. The guardian angels hope they can visit the boxing coach there. “It all happened so quickly. At some point we will try to go to the hospital. If that can be arranged, it will be very emotional for both of us,” Singh said after the incident.
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