World-famous Colombian cliff diver Orlando Duque was released from the hospital Wednesday after a botched dive into a Cali pool Tuesday, reports newspaper El Tiempo.
Duque was released from the Imbanaco Medical Center at 7:30AM Wednesday with no serious injuries but with instructions to rest for three days.
The former Olympic athlete was training at the Hernando Botero O’Byrne pools in Cali for the world diving championship set to take place on Easter Island later this month.
“I was doing the steps of the dive and my biggest concern was that I was not going to be able to enter the water well. What I did in the air, after completing the routine, was bend my knees. That gave me enough acceleration and I could not stop the dive and I landed badly,” the former Olympic athlete told El Tiempo.
Duque had jumped from an 89 foot high springboard.
“The blow was on my left side. It was between the ribs and the the back. Also, I hit my legs and my neck, but it was strongest in the ribs,” he said.
The diver did not lose consciousness and was able to exit the pool without help.
“When I started to feel a little bit of pain I decided to go to the clinic to the doctors could review me. They did several x-rays and all went well. The doctors told me that the lungs, heart and other organs are fine,” Duque told the newspaper.
It is unknown whether the world cliff diving champion will compete later this month.
“He lost a little stability, he had a rough entry into the water. A blow like that at 44 miles per hour and from that height is unforgiving,” said Duque’s trainer Francis Gomez.
