Team GB medics save life of Uzbek boxing coach

Two members of the Great Britain team medical team helped save the life of the head coach of Uzbekistan’s Olympic boxing team.

Tulkin Kilichev was celebrating Uzbek boxer Hasanboy Dusmatov’s gold medal in the warm-up area of ​​Roland Garros in Paris on August 8 when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Team GB physiotherapist Robbie Lillis, who was in the arena at the time, said there was “a call for a doctor” which prompted him and his colleague Dr Harj Singh to rush to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use a defibrillator.

Mr Kilochev is said to be in stable condition in hospital.

Mr Lillis said Uzbekistan’s coaching staff were celebrating Dusmatov’s gold medal in the 51kg category before hearing shouts from the warm-up area that no longer sounded like celebrations.

“There was a call for help, a call for a doctor. Harj was the first person to respond and I followed with the emergency bag that we carry with us,” he told the PA news agency.

The physiotherapist said he arrived at Mr Kilichev “about 30 seconds after Harj”, who had already started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a life-saving emergency procedure performed when a person’s heart stops beating.

“A lot of coaches were obviously very anxious about the whole situation, so it took us a while to get them all away,” he said.

Mr Lillis said he used a defibrillator on Mr Kilichev, which gives a boost of energy to the heart to help restore a normal heart rhythm.

“At first he didn’t come back, but 20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj continued to do CPR, he suddenly came back conscious with us, which was great.”

Medical personnel from the scene arrived a few minutes later and Mr Kilichev was taken to hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition.

Mr Lillis said he hoped the Uzbek boxing coach would make a “full recovery”.

“I’m very, very grateful that we had all the equipment with us, and that Harj and I were there and that we were trained,” he said.

Mr Lillis admitted he had not slept at all on Thursday night after the incident.

“At that point, I felt an adrenaline rush,” he said. “I’m obviously grateful to be able to play a part and hopefully help someone survive.”

Mr Lillis said his mother told him “this is your Olympic moment”.

“It’s something I’ll definitely remember, I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon.”

Mr Singh, who also teaches pre-hospital emergency response techniques, said the situation “puts things into perspective”.

“We will try to go to the hospital at some point,” the doctor said. “If that could be arranged, I think it would be very emotional for both of us.”

Signs that a person is in cardiac arrest include: not moving, not responding to stimulation, or not appearing to be breathing, according to the NHS.

The NHS said symptoms include:

• Chest pain: This may include a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness, or squeezing in the chest.
• Pain in other parts of the body – which may feel like it is spreading from the chest to the arms, jaw, neck, back and abdomen.
• feel dizzy or lightheaded
• sweating
• shortness of breath
• to feel or be sick
• an overwhelming feeling of anxiety
• cough or wheezing