French swimmer hospitalised after celebration fail, Olympics dream in doubt
A teenage sensation injured himself during a failed celebration moments after qualifying for the Olympics, now his dream is in doubt.
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Rafael Fente-Damers secured his spot at Paris 2024 with a brilliant swim before dislocating his shoulder moments later.
The teenage sensation, 17, is set to compete at his home Games after performing well at the French Olympic trials in Chartres.
Fente-Damers finished second in the 100m freestyle final, only behind Maxime Grousset.
He achieved a personal best of 48.14 seconds, surpassing the Olympic qualifying time, which stood at 48.34 seconds.
Moments after his joyous achievement, however, things threatened to go badly wrong.
Amid the thrill of qualifying for the Games, Fente-Damers thrashed wildly at the water in jubilation.
You can watch the incident play out in the video above
In doing so, the teenager appeared to suffer an injury.
His grin was quickly replaced by a grimace, as he grabbed at his wounded left shoulder.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Fente-Damers suffered a dislocated shoulder.
He went on to appear on the podium in a sling.
But his smile did return as he lined up alongside Grousset and Co.
It has been reported that Fente-Damers did later head to hospital for checks.
In addition to the 100m freestyle, Fente-Damers’ performance also booked himself a spot in France’s men’s 4x100m relay team.
Grousset, who is also set to be on the team, hopes that his teammate will be fit in time for the Games, with pool events set to begin on July 27.
The 25-year-old said of Fente-Damers: “I hope it goes well for him because we’re waiting for him for the relay.
“He’s a bit crazy, that’s why he’s good. He’s not afraid of anything and I think he’s going to progress.”
- This article first appeared in The US Sun and was republished with permission
Originally published as French swimmer hospitalised after celebration fail, Olympics dream in doubt
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