U.S. sprinter, Manteo Mitchell, finishes the first lap of the 4×400 meter relay on a broken leg.
C’mon. A broken leg?
Manteo Mitchell, who finished 5th in the U.S. Olympic trials for the 400m, served as the first leg in the men’s 4×400 relay. Mitchell started the event, and looked strong in the first 200 meters. Then there was a noticeable hobble as he hit the final turn, before he hit his stride again, grimacing through pain, and still posting a 46.00 second split.
According to Mitchell:
It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half… I heard it and I felt it, but I figured it’s what almost any person would’ve done in that situation.
Um. Probably not, Manteo. So this nod head shake of impression is all for you.
This offers a little insight into the mental toughness that it takes to even get to such a level of competition. All those impulses that your body offers the brain, telling the brain: STOP! They become mere physical suggestions to these athletes–especially 400m sprinters, who live outside any comfort zone.
After the race, Mitchell was in obvious pain–he hobbled off the track, and waited on the team to finish the race. At that point, officials and coaches took him into the medical facility to X-Ray his leg in an effort to identify what caused the pain. It was a complete break of the left fibula–the lateral stabilizing bone that accompanies the tibia in the lower leg. The United States went on to tie for the best time in the prelim, advancing them to the relay final. Because Mitchell raced in the preliminary event, he will also qualify for a medal if the United States goes on to finish in the Top 3.
It is not a compound fracture, so the bone is expected to heal completely with 4-6 weeks of rest.
