Olympics: Team GB medics save Uzbekistan boxing trainer’s life

Mr Lillis said Uzbekistan’s coaching team were celebrating Dusmatov’s gold medal in the 51kg category before he heard shouting coming from the warm-up area that did not sound like celebrations anymore.

“There was a cry for a doctor, for help. Harj was the first person who responded and I followed with the emergency trauma bag that we carry with us,” he told the PA news agency.

The physiotherapist said he reached Mr Kilichev “about 30 seconds after Harj”, who had already started performing CPR – an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when someone’s heart stops beating.

“Quite a lot of coaches were pretty visibly distressed around the whole situation, so it took us a moment to clear all of them out of the way,” he said.

Mr Lillis said he used a defibrillator on Mr Kilichev, which gives a jolt of energy, external to the heart to help restore a normal heartbeat.

“Initially he didn’t come back but, about 20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj continued doing CPR, all of a sudden he came back conscious with us, which was great.”