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Marco Loughran attacked in 'road rage incident' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Welsh Olympic swimmer Marco Loughran said he and his girlfriend were victims of a road rage incident which left him needing hospital treatment in Denmark. | |
The backstroke specialist and his girlfriend Jeanette Ottesen, a world and European butterfly champion from Denmark, were attacked on Sunday. | |
Mr Loughran, who represented Britain at the 2012 Olympics and Wales at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, suffered head injuries and broken teeth. | |
Miss Ottesen broke a finger. | |
"It was a cowardly attack. I'm on the mend now but Jeanette is so upset about it all," he said. | |
Miss Ottesen told Danish television station TV 2 SPORT the alleged attacker thought she had been driving too slowly. | Miss Ottesen told Danish television station TV 2 SPORT the alleged attacker thought she had been driving too slowly. |
"I am deeply shocked," she said. | "I am deeply shocked," she said. |
"He beat Marco several times in the head, and when I tried to defend him I was hit on my fingers." | |
Nationwide appeal | |
Mr Loughran claimed he received a "hammer kick to the chest" when he confronted the motorist. | |
He said the man then drove off and as Miss Ottesen was upset by what had happened the couple wound down their windows to get some fresh air. | |
He added: "Jeanette saw a man in the mirror coming up to the car and thought it was someone going to help us, but this guy just started hailing punches at me through the window. | |
"I must have felt about seven or eight punches as I was struggling to get my seat belt off. Jeanette was leaning across trying to cradle me and that's how she was injured." | |
The couple plan to appear on a popular Danish television show on Thursday to make a nationwide appeal for information over the attack. | |
Mr Loughran became the men's 50m backstroke British champion in 2013. | Mr Loughran became the men's 50m backstroke British champion in 2013. |
He moved to Denmark after competing for Wales at the last Commonwealth Games. | He moved to Denmark after competing for Wales at the last Commonwealth Games. |