Asian games: Sports official suffered broken leg after being hit by an iron hammer

SHAH ALAM - A sports official broke his leg after being hit by an iron hammer thrown by Kuwaiti athlete Ali Zankawi during the Asian Games in Hangzhou last Saturday.

The official, known as Huang Qinghua, was sitting on a chair outside the throwing circle when Zankawi's attempt was cancelled after his hammer hit the protective net.

However the iron hammer, which weighed more than seven kilogrammes, struck Huang's right leg.

He was carried out and received emergency treatment on-site before being taken to the hospital.

The 62-year-old man is in stable condition and will undergo surgery for his broken right fibula, according to Chinese government media.

Zankawi, a silver medalist at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, told AFP that he visited Huang at the hospital yesterday and apologised.

"I saw the hammer bouncing from the ground to the official's leg, so I immediately ran towards him and tried to help him, as he was in shock and pain.

"After I reached him, I saw blood flowing from his leg, and I knew it was broken.

"Then I tied it tightly to stop the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.

"I helped place him on the ambulance stretcher to be taken to the hospital," he said.