Days After Protestors Invasion During Race, Diamond League Track Athlete Complaints About Knee Injury

The 2023 Diamond League, held on July 2, took place in Stockholm. Some of the great world record holders were seen competing in the 400-meter hurdles men’s league. The race was later interrupted by three environmental protestors from the A22 Network. Protestors were seen kneeling on the ground around 8–10 meters from the finish line, which disrupted the runners ability to cross the line.

The hurdle race was won by Karston Warholm, the Norwegian Olympic champion. His lane was not interrupted by any protesters, and hence he crossed the finish line with ease. However, the rest of the runners faced disruption when the protestors stretched banners across six lanes of the track. The runners were forced to break through the posters; however, no injuries were reported until one opened up about his knee injury on his Instagram.

Athlete suffers a knee injury after running through the protestors 

The French 400-meter hurdles pro athlete Wilfried Happio was one of the runners at the Stockholm Diamond League. The unpredicted protest earlier appeared without injuries, but Happio recently posted an Instagram story where he opened up about his knee injury. Rori Dunk and PJ Vazel, some Twitter handles, also posted about Happio’s injury soon after.

PJ Vazel wrote, “One of the 400m hurdlers in #StockholmDL Wilfried Happio (4th at Worlds last year) has posted stories on Instagram about a knee injury after hitting @vatmarker activists who tried to stop the runners before the end of the race….” This post was retweeted with another of his tweets on race analysis during the protest, which discusses how climate activists have disrupted the racers arriving at 25 km/hour at the Stockholm athletics meeting.

Surprisingly, Vazel wasn’t the only one to shed light on Happio’s injury. Rori Dunk also shared the same information regarding the athlete’s injured knee on Twitter!

Read More: ‘Ridiculously Dangerous and Careless’’: Protestors Disrupting the Men’s 400MH at Diamond League Leaves Sports World in Rage

Rori’s tweet on Wilfried’s knee injury

Joining Vazel, Rori Dunk also posted about how the race was a tragedy for Happio. “Wilfried Happio has indicated that he’s picked up a knee injury after the 400mh incident with the protester at the Stockholm Diamond League,” he wrote. Other athletes, including Karston Warholm, have also condemned this poor act of the protestors by saying this is not the right way, even if it is permissible. 

The 400-meter hurdle race in Stockholm is something that is known for more than the race now. The runners were forced to bump into the protestors. Although most walked away unscathed, Happio was unfortunately an exception and busted his knee falling off the banners. Warholm was also reported to be infuriated by this careless act of the protestors.

Watch This Story: KYLE BUSCH’S CONCERNS BECOME A REALITY AS FANS BASH THE CHICAGO RACE AFTER AN UNWANTED STOPPAGE