A bull breaks 14 of his ribs and punctures a lung… Youssef already wants to return
Fourteen fractured ribs, a punctured lung and three affected vertebrae: Youssef Zekraoui came close to death in the Arles bullring. One month later, the raseteur is already thinking about returning to the arena.
Everything changed on July 6 during the Cocarde d’Or. Youssef found himself facing Rugby, a bull weighing more than 500 kilos and charging at full speed. Hit and then thrown against a post, he collapsed.
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“I saw myself dead,” he told Objectif Gard. After the impact, he says he almost lost his hearing and saw blood flowing from his mouth.
The medical assessment was severe: two pneumothoraxes, a punctured lung, 14 fractured ribs, three broken vertebrae, a bruised liver and a fractured nose. According to Youssef, doctors explained to him that the force of the impact could have caused cardiac arrest.
He spent two weeks at Nîmes University Hospital, notably in intensive care and critical care. Completely bedridden for thirteen days, he underwent two procedures and lost eight kilos.
He is already aiming to return in March
Hardly had he left the hospital when Youssef was already thinking about resuming his activities. Two days after returning home, he began his rehabilitation.
For now, he is limiting himself to walking and cycling before starting respiratory physiotherapy. His injuries are expected to require several months to heal.
His goal is already set: to return to the bullrings at the start of next season, in March. His physiotherapist even recounts that, in hospital, Youssef was already talking about the next Cocarde d’Or.
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One month after coming close to death, the raseteur is therefore not thinking about quitting. He is already preparing his return to face the bulls.
