Dylan Bettencourt
French hurdler Wilfried Happio won the French national championships 20 minutes after being assaulted.
The 23-year-old was attacked before the race in a reported security breach that left the athlete coughing blood and requiring an eye-patch.
Despite the attack, Happio lined up for the 400m hurdle final and crossed the finish line ahead of the pack, setting a personal best in the process as his headband held the patch in place.
While the motive for the attack remains unknown, Happio refused to focus on the incident after the race.
“I don’t want to dwell on it. We’ll leave that to the [relevant] people. To talk about the race, we worked a lot, we redid the music and that’s it. Physically I’m fine,” he said post-race.
Happio’s coach, Olivier Vallaeys, who managed to pull the attacker off the athlete, said the incident came as a shock to everyone involved.
“A guy who came from nowhere asked him if it was really him, Wilfried Happio, and threw himself on him. It was 20 minutes before the race, and we’re in shock,” he explained.
“The guy was arrested, Wilfried is fine. But I’m speechless — it’s a mess. Sheer aggression, it’s outrageous. These are savage methods.”
After winning the race, Happio was taken to the closest hospital for further inspection.
His triumph however ensures his spot at next month’s World Championships in the United States.
The attacker was arrested by French police with the Athletics Federation filing a complaint.
Image source: @AFP
