Football World Cup in Rome was cut short for Max Hrelja – and painfully.
The Achilles tendon ruptured during the 110-meter hurdles trials.
Max Hrelja did not clear the first hurdle in the trials.
The Swede fell, grabbed his left ankle, and intensely waved for help.
The 26-year-old was then helped off the blue running lanes of the Olympic Stadium.
The athlete was immediately taken to the medical room and it was determined that the injury was severe, which was later communicated by the communications manager of the Swedish Athletics Federation, Mathias Karlsson, in a statement.
"Max Hrelja's left Achilles tendon is gone. Back to Sweden as soon as possible for surgery," he writes.
And that's exactly what Hrelja felt immediately after the fall.
Max Hrelja traveled to the Italian capital with some discomfort in his calf. However, ultrasound examinations conducted before the championships showed that it was not the Achilles tendon, but rather the internal calf muscle.
Then, the hurdler and coach Niklas Fernström made the decision to still run in Rome.
The injury means that Max Hrelja's season is over.
At the EM, it was only a few strides and the summer's OS in Paris – which he hoped to qualify for – he will have to watch from afar.
