As the Paris Olympics approach, athletes are intensifying their preparations to maintain their competitive edge. However, for Australia’s Matt Dawson, this year's preparations took an unusual turn, as the field hockey player decided to have part of his finger amputated to compete in the Games.
The 30-year-old Dawson injured the ring finger of his right hand after being struck by a hockey stick during a practice match, just two weeks before he was scheduled to represent the Kookaburras in Paris for his third Olympic appearance. The impact nearly severed the top of his finger, jeopardizing his Olympic dreams.
“It was a significant injury. When people around you see it and don’t say anything, you know it’s pretty bad,” Dawson told CNN Sport from Paris. “Things moved quickly. All I remember is someone saying, ‘We need to see a plastic surgeon.’”
The damage to his finger was so severe that the surgeon remarked it was "very lucky still to be hanging on." Dawson faced two options: attempt to reconstruct the finger with a wire, which would require four to six months of recovery and missing the Olympics, or amputate the affected part of the finger.
Dawson, who was part of the silver medal-winning team at Tokyo 2020, chose the latter option, ensuring he could still compete for Olympic glory. On July 27, he will join the Kookaburras to face Argentina, just nine days after his injury.
“This was the best chance and best opportunity to play here. If I didn’t take this action, I wouldn’t be here,” Dawson said about his surgery, which he believes has given him "the best outlook" for life. “I’m very fortunate to still have as much finger as possible.”
Reflecting on the past two weeks, Dawson described the emotional rollercoaster of not knowing if he could compete in his third Olympic Games. “Initially, I thought it was going to be taken away from me. But then it all came back quickly. Now, I’m in the best position to be here, only 48 hours from our first game, which is really exciting."
“I’m just looking forward to the opportunity. This group is building to something pretty special. We were close in Tokyo, and there’s a burning desire and drive within the group to push ourselves and win that elusive title,” he added.