{"id":7193,"date":"2024-08-11T08:11:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T08:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/team-gb-medics-save-uzbekistan-boxing-trainers-life\/"},"modified":"2024-08-11T08:11:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-11T08:11:00","slug":"team-gb-medics-save-uzbekistan-boxing-trainers-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/team-gb-medics-save-uzbekistan-boxing-trainers-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Team GB medics save Uzbekistan boxing trainer’s life"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"GettyGetty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Uzbekistan’s head boxing coach, Tulkin Kilichev, was celebrating his country’s gold medal before having a cardiac arrest<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

Two members of Team GB’s medical team have helped save the life of the Uzbekistan Olympic boxing team’s head coach.<\/p>\n

Tulkin Kilichev was celebrating a gold medal for Uzbek boxer Hasanboy Dusmatov in the warm-up area at Roland Garros in Paris on 8 August when he went into cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n

Team GB physiotherapist Robbie Lillis, who was in the arena at the time, said there was “a cry for a doctor” prompting him and colleague Dr Harj Singh to rush over to perform CPR and use a defibrillator.<\/p>\n

Mr Kilochev is understood to be in a stable condition in hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Mr Lillis said Uzbekistan’s coaching team were celebrating Dusmatov’s gold medal in the 51kg category before he heard shouting coming from the warm-up area that did not sound like celebrations anymore.<\/p>\n

“There was a cry for a doctor, for help. Harj was the first person who responded and I followed with the emergency trauma bag that we carry with us,” he told the PA news agency.<\/p>\n

The physiotherapist said he reached Mr Kilichev “about 30 seconds after Harj”, who had already started performing CPR – an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when someone’s heart stops beating.<\/p>\n

“Quite a lot of coaches were pretty visibly distressed around the whole situation, so it took us a moment to clear all of them out of the way,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Lillis said he used a defibrillator on Mr Kilichev, which gives a jolt of energy<\/a> to the heart to help restore a normal heartbeat.<\/p>\n

“Initially he didn’t come back but, about 20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj continued doing CPR, all of a sudden he came back conscious with us, which was great.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"ReutersReuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Hasanboy Dusmatov won a gold medal in the men’s 51kg category<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
\n

The venue’s medical team arrived a few minutes later and Mr Kilichev was taken to hospital, where he is understood to be in a stable condition.<\/p>\n

Mr Lillis said he hopes the Uzbekistan boxing coach makes a “full recovery”.<\/p>\n

“I’m very, very thankful that we did have all the equipment on us, and myself and Harj being there and being trained,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘That’s your Olympic moment’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

Mr Lillis admitted he did not sleep at all on Thursday night following the incident.<\/p>\n

“It was obviously a bit of a rush of adrenaline at that time kind of managing the situation,” he said. “I’m obviously grateful to be able to play a part in hopefully helping someone survive.<\/p>\n

Mr Lillis said his mum told him “that’s your Olympic moment”.<\/p>\n

“It’s something obviously I’ll definitely remember, I don’t think I’m going to be forgetting that any time soon.”<\/p>\n

Mr Singh, who also teaches pre hospital emergency skills, said that the situation “puts things into perspective”.<\/p>\n

“At some stage we will endeavour to go to the hospital,” the doctor said. “If it could be arranged, I think that would be quite emotional for both of us.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What are the signs of cardiac arrest?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood round the body, according to the British Heart Foundation.<\/a><\/p>\n

The NHS lists the signs<\/a> someone has gone into cardiac arrest as:<\/p>\n