Manteo Mitchell Ran 4×400 Relay With Broken Leg
Break A Leg
“I heard it and I felt it,” American sprinter Manteo Mitchell told the Associated Press after breaking his leg on Thursday. Mitchell, who was halfway through his segment of the men’s 4-by-400 relay when he felt something snap, did what he said “almost any person would’ve done in that situation” he finished the remaining 200 meters. His endurance wasn’t for nothing.
After Mitchell limped off, his three teammates completed the relay and qualified for the 4-by-400 final. After the race, doctors diagnosed Mitchell with a complete break of the left fibula and said the bone would heal in four to six weeks.
The fibula is the smaller of the two bones that make up the lower leg, the other being the tibia. The fibula is non-weight-bearing and as such, it is possible to run on a broken fibula. The pain, though, would be intense and would likely debilitate many athletes.
The fact that Mitchell made it around the track in just more than 46 seconds, a time that placed him in a tie for fifth out of eight runners.
