Stefania Sarrubba
An olympian made a drastic decision after a hand injury jeopardised his chance to compete in the Paris Olympics this year..
Australian field hockey player Matt Dawson saw his opportunity to take part in his third Olympics slipping away from him after he broke his ring finger ahead of this year's Olympic Games in Paris, France.
With his eyes set on a gold medal after winning silver in Tokyo 2020, the Aussie athlete wasn't expecting an injury getting in the way of his trope to France, and had to make a choice.
In the wake of the injury, doctors advised the Kookaburras defender to put his finger in a cast and wait for it to recover, risking sitting the Games out or having the top cut off.
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Dawson consulted with a plastic surgeon and called his wife, but his mind was made up.
The 30-year-old sportsman decided to have his phalange amputated, insisting the choice will positively impact his life 'after' Paris as well.
"I made an informed decision with the plastic surgeon at the time not only for the opportunity to play in Paris but for life after as well," he told Channel Seven in Australia as he got ready to board the plane to Paris.
"The best option was for me to take the top of my finger off. It's a bit of a change at the moment and an exciting challenge, I guess," he continued.
Dawson's wife said she didn't want him to make a rash choice, but the hockey player explained he had all the info he needed.
"I didn't have much time to make the decision. I had made the decision and then I called my wife, and she said, 'I don't want you to make a rash decision', but I had all the information I needed to make the decision not for Paris but for life after," he said.
"There are plenty of other issues and other people going on with other stuff in their lives that are bigger than losing a finger, so I'm very fortunate that it's just a little bit of my finger," he added.
"Hopefully, I can not take too long to get back to form."
Australia coach Colin Batch confirmed Dawson is back in training and is 'really committed'.
"It's not something a coach can decide for a player," said Batch, who won the World Cup with Australia and has been training the national team since 2016.
"Full marks to Matt. Obviously he's really committed to playing in Paris. I'm not sure I would have done it, but he's done it, so great.
"He's back in training now and he's certainly set the bar high for anyone getting a broken finger in the future."