South African athlete hurt in saw attack faces long recovery

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 11:37 am, Friday, March 9, 2018



South African triathlete Mhlengi Gwala recovers from surgery in his hospital bed in Durban, South Africa, Friday, March 9, 2018. Gwala, who suffered severe injuries when attackers cut his legs with a saw, says he will focus on recovery so he can run and cycle again.


JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A plastic surgeon in South Africa says he doubts that a triathlete who suffered severe leg injuries after men attacked him with a saw will be able to compete "in the near future."

Dr. O'Sharran Singh told journalists Friday that it is unlikely Mhlengi Gwala will be able to "function at a competitive level" for one to two years and that his progress will be assessed every few months. He says Gwala is in stable condition and is not at risk of losing the leg that was injured most severely.

Gwala says he was attacked and pulled off his bicycle while training early Tuesday in the coastal city of Durban. He had surgery on Wednesday and says he wants to run and cycle again.

The motive for the attack is unclear.



Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/world/article/South-African-athlete-hurt-in-saw-attack-faces-12741307.php#photo-15206140

[Judi Lynn]

1. Earlier information:

March 7, 2018, 10:14 AM
Triathlete severely injured in attack with blunt saw

JOHANNESBURG -- Assailants in South Africa attacked a top national triathlete who was cycling to a training session and cut into his legs with a blunt saw, causing severe injuries, an athletic director said Wednesday. Mhlengi Gwala, 27, was undergoing surgery after the attack which occurred before dawn on Tuesday in the coastal city of Durban, said Dennis Jackson, director of the elite athlete program for KwaZulu-Natal province.

Several attackers pulled Gwala off his bicycle as he cycled up a steep hill and sawed into his right calf, damaging muscle, nerves and bone, according to Jackson, who spoke by phone to the triathlete about the ordeal. They missed a main artery and surgeons are confident they can save the leg, Jackson said.

The attackers also started sawing into Gwala's left leg before fleeing, enabling the athlete to crawl to a road and flag down a passing car to take him to a hospital.

The grisly attack has alarmed athletes in Durban who routinely get up in the early morning darkness to train when few people are on the roads, and there was no immediate explanation for why Gwala was targeted. The athlete had offered his cell phone, wallet and bicycle to the assailants, who still went for his legs and were speaking in a language that Gwala could not understand, Jackson said.

More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mhlengi-gwala-south-africa-triathlete-attack-saw-durban-severe-leg-injuries/

[Marcuse]

7. Tanya Harding

[shenmue]

2. So awful

[FSogol]

3. So horrific. Hope they find the people responsible.

The article I read said chainsaw.

[Judi Lynn]

6. One of the worst kinds of assault anyone could imagine. It's a miracle he has survived.

Thank you for the info.

It will be a crime if they DON'T find the would-be assassins.

Clearly someone doesn't want him running or cycling.

Apparently they had the same idea as Tonya Harding's thugs had when they attacked Nancy Kerrigan, only they meant to do damage that would destroy him.

[sheshe2]

4. I hope he recovers.

May he run again.

[Oneironaut]

5. Seems like this was a very personal attack.

[Bayard]

8. Daaammmnnnn........

He certainly pissed off somebody. Maybe a competitor, or not happy about him getting sponsorship money?

Hope he recovers.