British medics save Uzbekistan boxing coach after cardiac arrest at Paris Olympics

Two members of Great Britain’s Olympic medical team, physiotherapist Robbie Lillis and Dr. Harj Singh, the life of Tulkin Kilichev, the head coach of the Uzbekistan Olympic boxing team, after he suffered a cardiac arrest, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The incident occured on August 8, in the warm-up area at Roland Garros in Paris, where Kilichev was celebrating Uzbek boxer Hasanboy Dusmatov’s gold medal win.

The celebration quickly turned to panic when Kilichev collapsed. Hearing a cry for medical help, Dr. Singh was the first to respond, immediately beginning CPR. Lillis followed closely behind, bringing with him an emergency trauma bag that included a defibrillator.

Despite the distress and confusion among the coaching staff, Singh and Lillis maintained their focus. Lillis recalled, "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."

Lillis then used the defibrillator to deliver a shock to Kilichev’s heart. “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,” Lillis said. Their prompt action ensured that Kilichev regained consciousness before the venue’s medical team arrived. Kilichev was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Reflecting on the incident, Lillis noted how the experience left him unable to sleep that night, fueled by the adrenaline of the moment the BBC reported. His mother aptly told him, “That’s your Olympic moment,” a sentiment Lillis echoed, acknowledging the significance of what had transpired and how deeply it would stay with him. "It's something obviously I'll definitely remember, I don't think I'm going to be forgetting that anytime soon," he added.

Checking in on the patient

Dr. Singh, who also teaches pre-hospital emergency skills, emphasized how the situation “puts things into perspective.” Both he and Lillis expressed a desire to visit Kilichev in the hospital during his recovery, understanding the emotional weight of the event. Singh noted, "At some stage, we will endeavor to go to the hospital. If it could be arranged, I think that would be quite emotional for both of us."

Their life-saving actions highlight the critical importance of their training, particularly the pitch-side trauma course they completed at the UK Sports Institute.

This training equipped them to handle such extreme emergencies, turning what could have been a tragic incident into a moment of heroism, according to a report on Sky News. As Lillis remarked, "I'm obviously grateful to be able to play a part in hopefully helping someone survive."