WA star Kim Mickle has dislocated her shoulder while trying to qualify for the final of the women’s javelin at the Olympic Stadium in Rio today.
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The 31-year-old national record holder left the Olympic Stadium in agony on Tuesday night after dislocating her right shoulder on her third and final attempt in the qualifying round.
Kim Mickle in trouble at the Rio Olympics.
She was eventually ushered off the track by officials and taken for medical treatment. Although she felt pain in her shoulder, when she threw the shoulder was structurally sound.
The global television broadcast showed Mickle repeatedly mouthing the phrase “help me” as she limped around looking for treatment.
Mickle threw 57.20m with her opening throw, fouled the next before suffering the injury as she tried to find extra with her third throw to stay in the competition.
Mickle injured her shoulder in competition ahead of the world championships in Beijing a year ago but tried to compete there.
The news was better for fellow Australian Kathryn Mitchell, who scraped into Friday morning’s (AEST) final with a final throw of 61.63m.
After almost a year of rehab she made a last-minute decision to contest her second Games after throwing beyond 60m at a recent trial in Perth. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.
Until her injury Mickle had been on the rise for Australia, winning a breakthrough silver at the 2013 world championships in Moscow and then gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games the following year.
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The Western Australian had always been facing a race against time to prove her fitness for Rio following a lengthy rehabilitation period, but some throws during training in Perth last month had helped boost her confidence.
