In a remarkable display of determination, Australian field hockey player Matt Dawson has taken the extraordinary step of amputating a finger on his right hand in order to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Dawson, a 30-year-old veteran of the national “Kookaburras” team, sustained an injury to the finger during a training session in Perth two weeks ago. Faced with the prospect of a lengthy recovery that could jeopardize his Olympic dreams, Dawson met with a plastic surgeon who presented him with a stark choice: undergo surgery that may leave the finger with limited functionality, or amputate it entirely and return to the field in just 10 days.
For Dawson, the decision was clear. “If taking the top of my finger was the price I had to pay, that’s what I would do,” he told the Parlez Vous Hockey podcast. The veteran athlete, who is nearing the end of his storied career, is determined to compete in his third Olympics after winning gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and silver in Tokyo 2020.
Dawson’s teammates and coaches were initially taken aback by his drastic measure, with team captain Aran Zalewski admitting, “We didn’t really know what to think, and then we heard that he went to the hospital and chopped his finger off.” However, Zalewski acknowledged the immense sacrifice and dedication required to compete at the highest level, stating, “When you’ve spent a lifetime of choice and sacrifice to come and compete at the highest level, I think for him it was an easy decision.”
Despite the severity of the injury, Dawson is already back training with the Kookaburras squad and is set to take the field against Argentina on Saturday, just 16 days after the incident. Kookaburras coach Colin Batch praised Dawson’s commitment, saying, “Full marks to Matt. Obviously, he’s committed to playing in Paris. I’m not sure I would have done it, but he’s done it, so great.”
This is not the first time Dawson has faced a significant injury in his pursuit of Olympic glory. In the lead-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he nearly lost an eye after being struck by a hockey stick. Clearly, the determination to represent his country on the world’s biggest sporting stage knows no bounds for this Australian hockey star.