- Joosje Burg suffered a nasty injury during the Netherlands’ semi-final win
- She was hit by a hockey ball, rendering her motionless, but then resumed movement.
- The 27-year-old was not present in the final, but did appear on the podium later
Dutch hockey player Joosje Burg appeared with two black eyes at the gold medal ceremony, after suffering a serious injury in Paris.
During the 3-0 semi-final win over Argentina on Wednesday, Burg was standing a few metres away from her opponent when she received a hard shot to the face.
Blood was pouring from the 27-year-old’s head and she lay motionless on the ground as her teammates and medical staff rushed to treat her.
Television channel Eurosport decided not to show Burg on the ground, so serious was his injury.
Staff applied a bandage to her nose to stop the bleeding and play was stopped for more than five minutes.
WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT
Dutch hockey player Joosje Burg appeared with two black eyes during the medal ceremony
Burg (center) was not involved in the eventual victory, but later appeared alongside his teammates
The 27-year-old suffered a painful injury during the women’s hockey semi-finals
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Burg eventually got back on his feet and, with the help of four medical staff, was able to leave the playing field.
The Netherlands defended their gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics by beating China on penalties after the match had ended 1-1.
Burg was not involved in the race, but later appeared on the podium alongside her teammates, despite her still visible injuries.
The 27-year-old woman appeared with two black eyes that were still swollen and a bandage on the top of her nose.
Her absence from the final may come as a surprise, as she remarkably returned in the semi-final after being patched up on the sidelines.
“We’re the best team when we’re playing at 100 percent. When we’re playing at 70 percent, everyone thinks, ‘Oh, we’ll win anyway,'” Burg said.