Paris 2024 Olympics: Aussie Hockey Star Sacrifices Part Of Finger To Win Race Against Time

Paris Olympics 2024: Australian Hockey player Matt Dawson sacrifices a part of his ring finger of the right hand to ensure participation in the upcoming Paris Games.

Matt Dawson, a 31-year old Australian hockey player, has shown remarkable dedication to securing his spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 by getting the top of his ring finger amputated. Dawson, who already has a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics 2020, recently faced a challenging decision due to a severe finger injury. He fractured the ring finger of his right hand and it cast a shadow of doubt over his ability to participate in the upcoming Paris Games.

After the finger injury, Dawson confronted this dilemma, his medical team offered him two options. He could either let the finger heal naturally, which risked not being fully recovered in time for the Games, or take the drastic step of amputating part of the finger to ensure his readiness. Choosing certainty, Dawson opted for the latter.

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"I didn’t have much time to make the decision. I made the decision then I called my wife, and she said, 'I don’t want you to make a rash decision'. But I guess I had all the information I needed to make a decision for not only playing in Paris, but for life after and giving myself the best health, “ he said in a conversation with Australia’s Seven Network.

Australian Hockey Team Coach Showers Heavy Praise On Dawson's Courage

The Australian men's hockey team coach Colin Batch praised Dawson, acknowledging his courage and commitment to the game. However, he openly admitted uncertainty about whether he would have the same courage if faced with a similar situation.

"The best way of recovering from it was to just chop the end of the finger off. So that’s what he decided to do. It’s not something a coach can decide for a player. Full marks to Matt. Obviously he’s really committed to playing in Paris. I’m not sure I would have done it, but he’s done it, so great,” coach Colin Batch said.

Australia came inches close to securing their second-ever Olympics gold medal inthe Tokyo Olympics 2024 but went down against Belgium in the final.