Shock in the final

Boxer wins gold – trainer has to be resuscitated

Hasanboy Dusmatov (right) won gold and was delighted with his coach Tulkin Kilichev (left), who had to be resuscitated shortly afterwards.

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Big shock at the Olympic boxing final! The coach of Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov from Uzbekistan had to be resuscitated after the fight.

The moment of joy was followed by a delicate emergency situation. Dusmatov won gold in the flyweight division against Frenchman Billal Benama. The jubilation was huge. Dusmatov's coach Tulkin Kilichev was apparently so intoxicated that he suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated.

Fortunately, two members of the British team's coaching staff, physiotherapist Robbie Lillis and doctor Harj Singh, had the presence of mind to react. "The coaching team came into the warm-up area and celebrated. Then shouts came from that area, which were definitely not part of the celebrations," Lillis was quoted as saying by the British medium "Talksport".

Singh immediately began chest compressions and Lillis helped with a defibrillator. After the initial shock with the defibrillator, Kilichev did not wake up. But then came the relief. "20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj had continued the chest compressions, he suddenly regained consciousness, which was great. Hopefully he will make a full recovery," said Lillis. Kilichev was then taken to hospital.

"Speed is of the essence"
This dramatic moment shows how important knowledge of first aid measures can be in an emergency. "Speed is of the essence. I am very, very grateful that we had the equipment with us and that Harj and I were on site and trained," emphasized Lillis. 

The two guardian angels Lillis and Singh hope to be able to visit the boxing trainer in hospital. "Everything happened so fast. At some point we will try to go to the hospital. If that could be arranged, it would be very emotional for both of us," said Singh after the incident.