An Olympic coach’s jubilant celebrations were abruptly halted by a terrifying health scare when he suffered a heart attack shortly after his athlete won a gold medal.
Tulkin Kilichev, who coaches Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov in boxing, was elated as Dusmatov secured a gold medal victory. However, their joyous moment quickly turned dire.
While celebrating in the warm-up area, the situation took a frightening turn.
Witnesses reported that the initial cheers were soon replaced by urgent cries for help.
At that critical moment, Team GB physiotherapist Robbie Lillis and Dr. Harj Singh rushed to assist Kilichev, who was in cardiac arrest.
The medical team immediately performed CPR and utilized a defibrillator in an attempt to revive him.
The 41-year-old coach was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he is reportedly in stable condition and expected to recover.
So how did a moment of triumph turn so tragic?
Lillis explained to the press: “There was a cry for a doctor, for help. Harj was the first person who responded and I followed with the emergency trauma bag that we carry with us.
“Quite a lot of coaches were pretty visibly distressed around the whole situation, so it took us a moment to clear all of them out of the way.
“Initially he didn’t come back but, about 20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj continued doing CPR, all of a sudden he came back conscious with us, which was great.
“Speed is the essence of it. I’m very, very thankful that we did have all the equipment on us, and myself and Harj being there and being trained.”
Lillis shared a touching sentiment from his mother, who found something profound in his calm handling of the crisis.
He recalled: “My mom said a really nice thing, she said, ‘that’s your Olympic moment’.
“It’s something obviously I’ll definitely remember, I don’t think I’m going to be forgetting that any time soon.”
Dr. Singh remarked that the incident “puts things into perspective.”
“At some stage we will endeavour to go to the hospital,” the doctor said.
“If it could be arranged, I think that would be quite emotional for both of us.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, recognizing the signs of a cardiac arrest can be crucial in saving a life. Symptoms include persistent chest pain, pain spreading to arms, neck, or jaw, and shortness of breath or nausea.
If you observe anyone exhibiting these symptoms, it is imperative to call emergency services immediately.