Weightlifting world sickened by female star's horrific injury
Warning: The following video contains graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing.
The world of weightlifting has been left sickened by a horrific injury at the European Championships.
Staged in Georgia, the women’s 76kg division contest was marred by a gruesome arm break for France’s Gaelle Nayo-Ketchanke.
The French woman was rushed to hospital for immediate surgery after her third attempt at the clean and jerk went horribly wrong.
Nayo-Ketchanke managed to get the bar above her head but as she strained to keep it in the air her left forearm buckled underneath the immense weight.
The French woman let out a blood-curdling shriek as she crashed to the floor in agony.
Her cries of pain could be heard reverberating across the room as onlookers clutched their faces in horror.
Ketchanke was taken off on a stretcher and early reports from the French team suggested she had broken her left arm in two places and possibly dislocated her elbow.
The sporting world was left in shock by the awful scenes.
All my thoughts and prayers for a fighter, Gaëlle Nayo-Ketchanke, and I wish her to have a quick and good recovery. 🙏 https://t.co/u4QCZJKGsi
— Tenistabiker (@tenistabiker) April 11, 2019
Olympic champ dethroned
There was a surprise defeat for Lidia Valentin when she failed with her final lift in the women’s 76kg event.
The Spanish lifter, who has been recovering from a shoulder injury, had to make a clean and jerk of 136kg to overtake her Belarusian rival Darya Naumava.
However, after a couple of earlier wobbles the Olympic champion was unable to usurp Naumava – having to settle for the silver medal instead.
