At the World Athletics Championships, two buggies carrying competitors crashed, leaving sprinter Andrew Hudson of Jamaica with glass shards in his eye.
On Thursday, the buggies that transport athletes from their training facility to the stadium in Budapest collided.
After the incident, which delayed the first of the three 200-meter semi-finals by 24 minutes, Hudson required close to 20 minutes of medical attention and was visibly upset.
The accident happened as the competitors were being transported from the warm-up track to the stadium, and it prompted World Athletics to move the second semi-final ahead of the first to give the athletes time to recover.
Hudson eventually made the decision to continue despite his vision being foggy, but after coming in fifth in 20.38 seconds, he was unable to advance to Friday’s final. Later, the referee’s choice allowed Hudson, 26, to advance to the championship match.
The 200-meter runner Hudson and his rivals, including American world champion Noah Lyles, were being carried by one, which caused their heat to be delayed by 30 minutes.
Fifth-place finisher Hudson remarked, “A bunch of glass went into my right eye. Every time I open my eye, my vision is fairly hazy”.
The incident is being looked into by the local organizing body for the event, and a volunteer is seeking medical attention. Lyles, the 100-meter champion for men, won the semifinal in 19.76 seconds to go to Friday’s final.
Immediately following the collision, Hudson, who was seen covering his right eye, said: “I was attempting to get the glass out of my eye. I went back to the doctor, and he found some glass pieces in it. He made his best effort to push it out”.
“World Athletics questioned me about running or not. Kind of a run or lose my spot situation. I figured I would at least try since I worked so hard to get here,” he said.
“My first World Championships will be unforgettable, so maybe I should walk the next time,” he said.