Moment athletics referee suffers a horrific broken leg and bleeding after being hit by a stray hammer thrown by a competitor during the Asian Games in China
- Asian Games official Huang Qinhua was injured by a stray hammer
- Kuwaiti Ali Zankawi threw the hammer incorrectly during the Asian Games in China
This is the horrific moment an athletics official was left in agony after a misthrown hammer shattered his leg during the Asian Games.
Blood was seen coming from Huang Qinhua’s leg after he was hit by the 16-pound hammer thrown by Kuwaiti Ali Zankawi during the men’s final in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Saturday.
An aggrieved Zankawi, 39, rushed to the 62-year-old umpire after seeing his throw go horribly wrong and helped him apply a tourniquet to restrict blood flow.
The referee’s face turned a deep red color in the seconds after he was hit by the hammer.
The referee, who sat a few feet behind the loose mesh surrounding the throwing circle, was seen clinging in terror as several other officials helped him onto a medical stretcher.
Kuwaiti’s Ali Zankawi mis-thrown his 16-pound hammer during the Asian Games on Saturday
The hammer flew into the leg of Games official Huang Qinhua
Ali Zankawi of Kuwait is pictured moments before his hammer shattered an official’s leg
Asian Games official Huang Qinhua was rushed to hospital after receiving a hammer on his leg
His leg bled profusely in the moments after the accident
Ali Zankawi (photo, left) rushed over to help the injured official
The couple was seen hugging as Qinhua lay in a hospital bed
Qinhua was then taken to hospital and treated for a broken bone.
Zankawi, meanwhile, looked shocked and reportedly asked for the referee several times after leaving the packed Olympic stadium.
A Games official said on Sunday: ‘He arrived at hospital at 8.15pm where he was diagnosed with an open tibiofibular fracture. Currently, his vital signs are stable.”
Despite being hospitalized, Qinhua seemed in good spirits.
He was seen with the hammer thrower, who shared a photo of them embracing as Qinhua lies in his hospital bed.
Although Zankawi managed to throw a season’s best of 67.57 meters (221.6 ft), he finished eighth overall.
Social media users called for improvements in safety protocols to provide better protection for referees.
While Qinhua sat behind a net meant to protect him and other officials, the net is also loosely tied to prevent hammers and discuses from flying back at athletes.