French runner wins race with one eye covered after assault

Runner Wilfried Happio won the French 400m hurdles championship Saturday evening, despite being assaulted just 20 minutes before the race, in what some critics are describing as a shocking scene of sport. 

The French athlete who was competing on Saturday at the national meeting in Caen was warming up when he was assaulted by an individual. The attacker broke security and violently punched the 23-year-old track star, landing several punches to his face.

The 23-year-old sprinter, one of the favorites to win, suffered an assault before the race. 

The beating left sequels in his left eye, but instead of withdrawing to treat the wounds he continued with the race and stood on the track with his left eye bandaged, overcoming the incident like a hero.

🔥 Minima pour les Mondiaux de Eugene !

🥇 Wilfried Happio (Lille Métropole Athlé) champion de France Elite du 400 m haies en 48''57 !

💪 Cinquième meilleur performeur 🇫🇷 de l'histoire !

💻 Suivez les #CFAthlé en DIRECT sur https://t.co/63xdTVtG50 et @lachainelequipe. pic.twitter.com/s4QTyk50iT

— FFAthlétisme (@FFAthletisme) June 25, 2022

With a patch protecting the damaged eye and held by a sports tape, the athlete crossed the finish line in the first place and celebrated with gestures of rage for everything that had happened. The aggressor was arrested by the police after Happio's coach, Olivier Vallaeys, managed to separate him from his pupil. 

"We are in a state of shock," recounted the trainer, who assured that the man "is a stranger who came out of nowhere."