It emerged recently that Johnny Sexton started the British and Irish Lions’ final Test versus the All Blacks with a broken wrist and a ruptured tendon in his ankle.
Here we examine three other famous cases of sportspeople gritting their teeth and pushing themselves through the pain barrier to achieve glory in their chosen field.
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3. Aidan O’Mahony
The Kerry stalwart broke his leg in the early stages of the Kerry Senior Football Championship final playing for his club Rathmore against Laune Rangers.
Instead of coming off, the unyielding former All-Star simply moved from midfield to full-forward and even contributed with two vital points in a 0-12 to 0-10 point victory.
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2. Richie McCaw
The two-time Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks captain, and most capped international of all time, had to hide a broken foot from the media, his teammates and even his coach, then Graham Henry, during the 2011 RWC.
The injury really came to a head during the semi-final against Australia, and describing it in his biography ‘Richie McCaw: The Open Side’, he said:
“During the warm-up I didn’t feel it too much, but five minutes into the game I felt it again. Something letting go. A clunk or pop or crack. The pain came back.”
He would not only play the rest of the semi-final, but also the final a week later and in doing so eeked out a famous victory against France to end a 24-year wait for World Cup glory in New Zealand.
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1. Tim Tebow
The former NFL and current MLB star is another player who played through the agony of a broken leg.
What makes this story even more incredible is that the 29-year-old helped his team recover from a 17-0 deficit and ran in a 29-yard touchdown.
Michael Keaveny, Pundit Arena
Read More About: 2011 rugby world cup, aidan o'mahony, All Blacks, kerry gaa, Mc Caw, richie mccaw, sexton, tebow, tim tebow
