The hockey player suffered a gruesome injury just weeks before the Olympics. He made a surprising decision.
As Kookaburra Aran Zalewski explains it, most elite athletes would give an arm and a leg to compete at the Olympics. So the Australian men’s hockey team is firmly behind their teammate Matthew Dawson, who gave up a slice of a finger.
The amputation made global news, sparking debate over whether a slice of a digit was too much of a sacrifice even for the Olympics. On Tuesday, Zalewski said Dawson’s team was squarely behind him. “I think for him it was an easy decision,” he said. Matthew Dawson, pictured here during the Tokyo Games, opted to amputate part of his finger to compete in Paris.The Kookaburras, who play their first match against Argentina on Saturday, are also hoping their longest-serving member and five-time Olympian, Eddie Ockenden, will be recognised for his achievements by being chosen as Australian flag bearer for the opening ceremony.
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