Finished second in Tokyo

Accident during garbage transport: Athlete fears for Olympic Games

Einvind Henriksen fears for his Olympic participation

(Bild: APA/AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)

The Norwegian hammer thrower Eivind Henriksen has injured himself while carrying garbage. Now the silver medal winner from Tokyo is worried about his participation in the Olympics. He was supposed to make the big time there once again. But he hasn't lost his sense of humor. 

It was actually all just an unpleasant routine matter: Henriksen wanted to take the garbage out the door quickly and ended up in a bizarre household accident. "I slipped on ice at the porch door while taking out the garbage and landed on my left knee. Absolutely fantastic...", the 33-year-old told Norwegian radio.

The hammer thrower immediately suffered severe pain and now fears for his big goals for the season. After all, with the European Championships in June and above all the Olympic Games at the beginning of August, two important events are just around the corner. At the last Summer Games in Tokyo, Henriksen won the silver medal and was aiming for gold in Paris.

Humor not lost
Despite his injury, the 33-year-old set off for the training camp in Australia. There he immediately realized that there was more to the pain in his knee than a bruise. "I tried to throw, but it hurt terribly," said Henriksen. In the meantime, bursitis has been diagnosed in the bruised knee.

He hopes that he will soon recover from the injury and be able to return to training. He has already secretly written off the European Championships, but hopes to be fit again for the Olympic Games. 

In the meantime, he is relaxing with his wife and two sons in Australia. He has not lost his sense of humor. He also wants to remain vigilant Down Under: "You have to be careful when you're walking around the shopping center with flip-flops on the tiles after a rain shower. I've slipped a few times here too," says the Norwegian.