Thomas Van der Plaetsen
Dramatic scenes around the decathlete Thomas Van Der Plaetsen. The athlete was brought out of the Olympic Stadium in a wheelchair.
The 30-year-old Olympic starter twisted his ankle on his first attempt in long jump, then flew head first through the air. Van Der Plaetsen hit hard in the long jump pit.
A little later, the Belgian decathlete had to be brought out of the Olympic Stadium in a wheelchair. The 30-year-old is said to have suffered a knee and a thigh injury. The Olympic decathlon is now over for the Belgian.
The athlete has had an eventful past anyway. After a positive doping control, the decathlete was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2014, the following year Van Der Plaetsen decided to continue his career and was rewarded with the European title in 2016. In Tokyo he was considered a medal outsider with a record of 8,430 points.
