Athletes have dealt with some incredibly cold temperatures during the Beijing Olympics, and the harsh conditions led to an unfortunate injury for one Finnish skier.
Finnish cross-country skier Remi Lindholm told reporters after Saturday’s men’s 50-kilometer mass start race that he suffered a frozen penis during the event. Lindholm said he dealt with the injury once before.
“You can guess which body part was a little bit frozen when I finished … it was one of the worst competitions I’ve been in,” Lindholm said, via Philip O’connor of Reuters. “It was just about battling through.”
The start of the race was delayed by an hour and the distance was shortened to 30 km due to the harsh temperatures and winds. It still lasted over an hour. Lindholm said his thin suit offered little protection, leading to his penis freezing. He said the issue caused extreme pain.
“When the body parts started to warm up after the finish, the pain was unbearable,” Lindholm told the media.
Lindholm said he needed a heat pack after the race to tend to his injury.
We’ve heard of dangerous cold, but Lindholm’s experience really helps illustrate just how extreme the conditions were during some events in China.
H/T LBS friend Blake K.
Photo: Feb 19, 2022; Zhangjiakou, China; Artem Maltsev (ROC) in the men’s cross country skiing 50km freestyle during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Zhangjiakou Cross-Country Centre. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
