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Gruesome-looking injury at school sports day almost thwarts top Hong Kong mountain biker in major China race

Brian Cook trains whole year for Greenhill Downhill Race in Enping, China but almost misses out after parent-teacher race goes horribly wrong

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Brian Cook put his quick recovery down to diet, supplements, oils and gels and family support. Photo: Handout

Top Hong Kong mountain biker Brian Cook had put himself through brutal training for 12 months to get ready for his biggest race of the year.

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But when you are an elite athlete, it can be hard to turn off your competitive streak – something Cook found out almost at his peril.

Calamity struck for the 39-year-old just a week out from the Greenland Downhill Race in Enping, China, one of the premier mountain biking competitions of the calendar.

He had managed to turn his right leg a shade of deep purple – at a school sports day, of all places.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, what have I done’,” he said.

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“I took my nephew and competed in a parent-teacher race,” he said. “I won, but I tried too hard and I ripped a muscle in my leg.”

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