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| December 09, 2006 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 17, 1427 |
Weather not a factor in Korean rider’s death, says official
DOHA, Dec 8: The death of South Korean equestrian eventer Kim Hyung-chil was a tragic accident and neither the weather nor conditions underfoot caused his horse to fall, the 15th Asian Games' eventing technical delegate said on Friday.
Kim was killed on Thursday when his horse Bundaberg Black catapulted him over fence No.8 at the Doha Racing and Equestrian Club then landed on top of him, causing major damage to his skull.
There had been pools of water on the eventing course due to heavy rain, but technical delegate Andy Griffiths said that at the time of Kim's fall the rain had relented.
“At the time of the accident, weather conditions were stable and it was not raining,” Griffiths said in a news conference.
“In my professional opinion, neither the weather nor the footing had any bearing on this accident.”
Griffiths said Bundaberg Black had gotten too close to the “relatively easy” 108cm fence before the jump, which resulted in a somersault type of fall with the full weight of the horse crashing down on Kim on the other side.
“When you have a horse running at 30kph and it falls on you, it's like two tons of bricks falling on top of you,” he said. “The rider was probably dead on impact.”
The horse sustained only minor injuries.
Immediately after Kim's accident, the event was suspended for more than three hours as torrential rain poured down on the course. Competition resumed early in the afternoon, minus the fateful fence.
South Korean riders took no part in the final day's eventing on Friday, while competitors from other nations wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
Spokesman Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifi said Kim would be remembered long after the Asian Games had ended. “A monument will be built to commemorate the death of an exceptional rider and athlete,” he told a news conference.—Reuters
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