Paris 2024: Bakhodir Jalolov thanks Team GB doctors for helping Uzbek coach during cardiac arrest
Uzbekistan boxer Bakhodir Jalolov thanked the Team GB medical team for helping his coach, Tulin Kilichev, when he suffered a cardiac arrest at Paris 2024.
The coach was celebrating the win of another Uzbek boxer, Hasanboy Dusmatov, on 8 August when he went into cardiac arrest at the Stade Roland-Garros.
It was the GB Boxing medical staff who reacted quickest and rushed to tend to Kilichev, treating him with CPR and a defibrillator and possibly saving his life.
Two days after the incident, Jalolov told the media (as per Reuters), "[Kilichev] is my personal coach. He is a great coach. He is very good now. Thank you very much for all the help that the doctors have given in France. Now he feels better, he is fine.
Bakhodir Jalolov (left) of Uzbekistan in the boxing men's +92kg final at Paris 2024.
“And, of course, thanks to the doctors from [Great Britain], because [they] helped first until the other doctors came. Thank you very much for all this help.”
In a statement, Team GB said: “Doctor Harj Singh and physio Robbie Lillis were the first to respond when Tulkin Kilichev was celebrating a gold medal for Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov in the warm-up area at Stade Roland Garros on Thursday suddenly went into cardiac arrest.
"Singh performed CPR whilst Lillis was able to use a defibrillator to bring Kilichev back to consciousness."
Jalolov went on to win the men’s +92kg gold-medal match against Ayoub Ghadfa Drissi El Aissaoui of Spain on 10 August, the second Olympic gold of his career.