A BYU freshman pole vaulter suffered an injury that will surely give him second thoughts about pole vaulting again in the future.
21-year-old Zach McWhorter impaled his scrotum while accidentally landing on the pole after clearing the bar during a recent practice, and needed 18 stitches.
The freshman shared video of how he suffered the gruesome injury on TikTok, with the caption, “That one time the pole went through my nuts… 18 stitches! #fail #polevault #athletics #trackandfield #ouch.”
McWhorter told Buzzfeed, “I could see right into my scrotum.” And he shared evidence of the pole tearing up his shorts:
It helps that, along with being his coach, McWhorter’s father Rick is also a urologist. McWhorter believes that there is nothing wrong with his testicles, “just a scar.”
“Immediately after the incident, we got in his car and drove to the hospital and he sewed me up. It required 18 stitches!”
“Fortunately, as far as I know, there is nothing wrong with my testicles — just a scar. One day, we’ll find out if they function or not…”
[Buzzfeed]
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.