August 18, 2008
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Awe...
http://sports.aol.com/olympics/story/_a/bbdp/
us-athlete-cheats-death-to-win-silver/136742?
icid=100214839x1207613589x1200425572It says in the article that US Sabre Fencing Olympian Keeth Smart earlier this year was diagnosed with "a rare blood disease" and that "doctors told Smart he had a low platelet count
and could die of severe internal bleeding within two days". Sounds like ITP. He then came back around, even through the death of his mother, to win the Saber competition at Beijing.I really wonder how he did it - to continue in such a high-trauma sport as sabre fencing (sabre, not even foil or épée) - and am all the more impressed that he did. Perhaps his ITP didn't end up being chronic?
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