The 5 Grisliest Sporting Injuries!

As a sportsman one thing you can always guarantee experiencing throughout your career is injury. Some athletes are more prone to suffering injury than others but typical injuries consist of strains, sprains, pulls and tears as well as cuts, bruises, breaks and swellings.

However every so often there are injuries in sport which are so shocking they make your stomach turn. The very site of them can force you to turn away, grab a bucket or in some cases even require counselling. These are not your average sporting injuries, they are one off horror shows which can be so serious they end a career or so appalling they have an effect on those nearby.

I have compiled my top 5 grizzliest sporting injuries, read on if you have the stomach for it:

Llewellyn Starks

This gruesome injury has made my list simply for the shock factor that it could happen to any unsuspecting athlete at any time. In May 1992 US long jumper Llewellyn Starks was preparing for the Barcelona Olympics and ranked as the 4th best in the world he had a realistic chance of making the podium. However his hopes of Olympic glory were shattered, quite literary, thanks to a horrific injury he sustained at the New York Games. Starks was lining up his third jump of the day and began his sprint down the track. As he approached the takeoff line his right leg suddenly jolted and a loud crack echoed round the arena. As he took off his right tibia and fibula had snapped but the nature of the angle resulted in both bones bursting through his skin. Suspended in mid air for a matter of split seconds Starks then landed in the pit, driving his tibia further through his skin. There had been no trip or stumble simply a freak occurrence which resulted in an injury so bad that Starks was forced to retire.

Evander Holyfield

Shocking injuries are hard to stomach at the best of times but when they are purposefully caused by a fellow competitor they are made all the worse. One of the most famous cases of this occurred during a heavy weight boxing match in June 1997. The hugely talented but clearly insane Mike Tyson made the shocking decision to bite a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear. Astonishingly the referee did not initially disqualify Tyson which gave him the opportunity to repeat this heinous crime, sending the event into chaos. The referee finally brought the bout to an end but by then a riot had already broken out injuring several people in the crowd. Tyson attempted to defend himself by claiming Holyfield had head butted him but this fell on deaf ears and Tyson received a lengthy suspension and was heavily fined. Rather surprisingly despite having bitten someone’s ear off Tyson was not awarded a lifetime ban. Holyfield was left in shock at what had happened and the upper section of his ear was left permanently missing.

Watch how this shocking event unfolded below:

Salim Sdiri

Considering it is a non contact sport, lasting for about 8 seconds, the long jump seems to be more hazardous than you’d first think. In July 2007 French long jumper Salim Sdiri suffered a bizarre yet gruesome injury at the IAAF Golden League Meeting in Rome. At the time he was injured Sdiri was not even competing, he was crouched over in the long jump warm up area tying his laces or picking up a penny. Suddenly, in what looked more like a scene from a medieval battle, Sdiri was struck in his side by a stray javelin, thrown by Tero Pitkamaki. Pitkamaki had slipped as he launched his spear and the resulting change of direction skewered the unsuspecting Sdiri. The Frenchman was immediately taken to hospital where a ten centimetre deep wound revealed both liver and kidney damage. Fortunately Sdiri made a full recovery but had the javelin entered him any higher he would have suffered permanent liver damage.

Watch how this grisly injury occurred below:

David Busst

Football players have a reputation for being rather dramatic when it comes to injuries, throwing themselves on the floor and rolling around from the slightest of contact. However what happened to Coventry City defender David Busst was anything but playacting and this was certainly not for the feint hearted, just ask goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

It was 1996 and Coventry City were playing Manchester United in a standard Premier League fixture. Coventry had won a corner and, as big centre backs usually do, David Busst had trotted up to see if his height advantage could aid in a goal. The corner was taken and following a flick on Busst stuck out a leg in order to try and steer the ball into the back of the goal. In reaching for the ball Busst collided with two Manchester Untied defenders but to his horror the resulting tangle of legs left him with extensive fractures to his right tibia and fibula.
The break was so serious that Busst’s bones penetrated through his sock and to the horror of the surrounding players blood had to be cleared from the pitch, forcing Danish goal keeper Peter Schmeichel to vomit behind the goal.

Busst was dealt a further blow when his leg became infected and despite over 20 operations he was unable to ever play again. The injury was so horrendous that several of the players who had witnessed it required counselling to overcome the shock.

Watch how this horrific injury occurred below:

Clint Malarchuk

The final injury in my list is more like something from a slasher horror movie than a sporting event but Ice Hockey goalie Clint Malarchuk will vouch it was certainly not an act. During a league match in March 1989 Malarchuk, playing for the Buffalo Sabres, collided with Steve Tuttle of St Louis. Collisions are a common occurrence in Ice Hockey, hence the protective clothing, and more often than not the worst injury a player will suffer is swelling and bruising.

However there was nothing routine about this collision and as Tuttle’s momentum forced his leg to kick up he inadvertently slit Malarchuk’s throat. Blood gushed out over the ice, causing several players to immediately vomit, and Malarchuk dropped to the floor clutching his throat.

His jugular vein had been cut and the site was so grotesque that several members of the crowd were taken ill, two even suffering heart attacks. Convinced he was going to die he sent a message to his mother and called for a priest but thanks to the quick work of the club trainer he was saved.

He was rushed to hospital and required over 300 stitches in his throat but most astonishingly of all he returned to training within a week. Malarchuk was extremely fortunate to survive as had the cut been just 1/8th of an inch higher he would have bled to death in minutes.

Watch how this life threatening incident occurred below:

	Author:	matt.renton (matt.renton's profile, matt.renton's blog)
	Posted On:	Friday, 10th October '08, 3:42pm
	Tags:	Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Conditioning, Cricket, Cycling, Distance Running, Field Events, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Injury, Marathon Training, Rowing, Rugby, Running, Skiing, Soccer Training, Sprinting, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon and Volleyball
	Comments:	0 comments, go to comments