American boxer ruled out after collapse
BEIJING (Reuters) - American bantamweight Gary Russell Jr. will miss the Beijing Olympics after collapsing while struggling to make his weight, U.S. team coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Friday.
The 20-year-old Russell was removed from the U.S. team's list of competitors before Friday's draw for the tournament, which starts on Saturday. "Medically, he's been cleared, he's now resting," Campbell said. "He's extremely depressed."
After a workout in a last attempt to make his weight class's 54-kg limit, Russell was found unconscious by his room mate Luis Yanez early on Friday, Campbell said.
Russell was rehydrated by medical staff at the athletes' village and checks showed his condition was not serious but he was ruled not healthy enough to take part in Friday's mandatory weigh-in.
"It's been extremely hot and that probably played a part," Campbell said. "We'd noticed in training he was not sweating the way he should.
"When trying to make weight, these kids sometimes cut corners. We believe he did not increase his fluid intake the way we had told him to."
Twice a national champion and a bronze medalist at the 2005 world championships, Russell was regarded as a medal prospect.
Russell, who has five younger brothers all named Gary Russell, four of whom are boxers, had been struggling to make his weight for months.
His withdrawal leaves the U.S. team, who have won a record 48 Olympic boxing titles but just one gold from the last two Games, with eight fighters in the draw, their smallest squad since the 1948 Olympics in London.
They still have several title contenders, however, among them world champions Rau'shee Warren and Demetrius Andrade.
Russell follows out Britain's top hope, world lightweight champion Frankie Gavin, who withdrew on Thursday for failing to make his weight.
All the boxers competing at the Olympics were required to make weight on Friday in order to be entered in the draw, which featured 284 boxers after Gavin and Russell pulled out.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
