Finnish cross-country skier Remi Lindholm suffered a frozen penis during the men's 50km mass start race at the Beijing Winter Olympics, which was shortened to 30km due to extreme cold. The incident marked the second time Lindholm has experienced this injury in a race, following a similar occurrence in Ruka, Finland last year.
Lindholm spent just under one hour and 16 minutes battling howling, freezing winds. He told Finnish media: “You can guess which body part was a little bit frozen when I finished ... it was one of the worst competitions I’ve been in. It was just about battling through.”
Organisers delayed the race by an hour and shortened it by 20km due to frostbite concerns. However, the thin suits and under-layers worn by racers, along with plasters covering faces and ears, offered little protection against the elements.
After finishing, Lindholm used a heat pack to thaw his frozen appendage. “When the body parts started to warm up after the finish, the pain was unbearable,” he added.
