An Australian athlete was going to miss the Olympics due to a finger injury. His solution: amputate it

He has not yet stepped onto the playing field, but Matt Dawson has already written his name in golden letters in the chronicle of the Paris Olympic Games (JJOO). And not only for being part of the ‘Kookaburras’the Australian men’s field hockey team. If you’ve managed to sneak into Headlines from half the planet and capturing the attention of his compatriots is the price he paid to compete in Paris: a finger.

Literally.

One finger away from the Olympics. His talent with the stick has allowed him to Matt Dawson (New South Wales, 30 years old) to be part of the field hockey team that will represent his country, Australia, at the Olympic Games in Paris. Despite his ability and commitment to the team, however, he was on the verge of missing out on the Olympics. Or rather, on the verge of missing out. Literally. A few days ago, while training with his teammates in Perth, Dawson suffered a a spectacular injury on the ring finger of his right hand. And showy is an understatement.

“The worst injury”. The wound that Dawson suffered is one of those that freezes the blood. So I explained it to him Simon Orchard, a veteran Australian field hockey player and sports commentator, told ABC News that Dawson’s injury is actually “the worst” he has seen in his long career.

“In my 25 years involved in this sport… I have never seen such a horrible finger injury,” admitted. The ring finger looked so bad after being hit by a hockey stick that Dawson himself ended up collapsing in the locker room. “It was pretty serious. When people around you see it and don’t say anything, you obviously know it’s pretty serious. It happened so fast. All I remember is someone saying to me, ‘We need to see a plastic surgeon,'” relates to .

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End of the Olympic dream? It seemed that way for a while. The injury was severe enough that Dawson’s participation in the Olympics was up in the air. Surgeons told him they could try to reconstruct the finger, but the operation was complex: it would require time off work. between four and six monthsthey warned him, and yet he still ran the risk of not recovering full functionality Undergoing the operation also had another devastating consequence for his career: Dawson would have to watch his Kookaburras teammates from the stands. Goodbye to his chance of winning a medal.

Plan B becomes A. There was another option, of course. A much more radical one, but one that would reduce the convalescence time to just 10 daysenough to be ready for the Paris appointment. Which one? Amputate part of the affected finger. His wife asked him not to act in a “hasty” manner, but Dawson was clear: “With all the information he had available to make the decision in a fairly short period of time, he decided to go ahead with it.” So he went into surgery, but not so that the surgeons could try to reconstruct his finger and give him as much mobility as possible in the future. The idea was different: to remove the affected phalanx.

The price for “Paris 2024”. His decision was so peculiar that Dawson’s case has transcended far beyond Australia. He has been spoken to by the the BBC either ABC News and the organization of the Olympic Games itself has been echoed In all his interviews, the Australian athlete downplays what happened and makes it clear that he does not regret having mutilated himself.

“If removing the top part of my finger was the price to pay, I would do it,” confess about his desire to compete in Paris. In fact, he already says that if his team manages to win gold “it won’t be a very high price.” Now, just a few hours away from the first match of the Australians, They will meet tomorrow With Argentina, Dawson explains that he did nothing but hold on to “the best opportunity” to attend Paris and is grateful to keep “as much of his finger as possible.” “I can lead a fairly functional life with one less finger to worry about,” jokes.

Objective: Olympic glory. Dawson’s decision was influenced by one key factor: age. The player is 30 years old and does not seem willing to give up on the opportunities he has left. “I’m definitely closer to the end of my career than the beginning, and who knows, this could be my last Olympics. If I felt I could still perform at my best, I wanted to do it.”

Unfortunately, serious injuries are not new to the Australian athlete either. In 2018, during the Commonwealth competition, he nearly lost an eye after being hit by a hockey stick. His team ended up winning the championship and took home the gold medal. silver at the Tokyo Games.

“A lifetime of sacrifice”. Dawson has not only surprised sports fans. His case has also shocked the locker room, as They confess the team’s coach, Colin Batch or the captain, Aran Zalewskiwho offers an interesting perspective: “After a lifetime of sacrifice to compete at the highest level, I think it was an easy decision for him.” After all, he recalls, some say he would be willing to give up an arm to compete in the Olympics. Dawson went from metaphor to… the operating room.

Image | Australian Olympic Team

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