After coach's life was saved backstage, Uzbekistan dominate Olympic boxing
Uzbekistan's beloved head boxing coach was revived from apparent cardiac arrest by two members of Britain's training staff after celebrating his team's first gold medal of the Paris Olympics, his fighters confirmed. The Uzbek team went on to win five golds — more than any Olympic team in the last 20 years — in tribute to Tulkin Kilichev, who is recovering in a Paris hospital.
"(Kilichev) is more than a coach or a father, in fact," Bakhodir Jalolov said after winning his second super heavyweight gold medal. «He has raised us. He educated us. He has transmitted the sports spirit to us. He has been with me in my heart, and tomorrow we will be going to visit him in the hospital.»
Kilichev fell ill backstage after flyweight Hasanboy Dusmatov won Uzbekistan's first gold medal Thursday. According to GB Boxing, team doctor Harj Singh and physical therapist Robbie Lillis found Kilichev in life-threatening distress. They performed CPR on the coach, and Lillis also used a defibrillator, the team said.
Jalolov said Kilichev remained in contact with the team over the past two days while recovering, and his fighters responded with a historic performance.
Jalolov was the last of Uzbekistan's five Paris champions to climb the podium Saturday night in the best Olympic performance since Cuba also won five golds at the 2004 Athens Games. Uzbekistan won the final five men's gold medal bouts contested at Roland Garros, starting with Dusmatov on Thursday — a victory followed by that frightening moment for Kilichev.
«This is history
