Despite the severity of the accident, the freshman athlete is expected to make a full recovery
A freshman athlete from the University of Georgia was hospitalized earlier this week after being accidentally injured by a javelin during practice.
On Tuesday, sprinter Elija Godwin, 19, was injured after backing into a javelin sticking out of the ground during a running drill, according to USA Today.
Police say the javelin was “left on the ground at an angle,” and that Godwin fell into the rear end of the spear, which is used in certain track and field events, reported DawgNation.
The outlet went on to report that following the incident, there was “a large amount of blood in the grass” and that Godwin was observed “spitting blood from his mouth.”
Godwin suffered from a collapsed left lung and a “5 to 6 inches deep” puncture wound, and required surgery to remove part of the javelin, according to DawgNation, citing a police report.
Part of the javelin was able to be removed before Godwin was transported to the hospital.
A representative for the University of Georgia athletics department had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.
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However, despite the severity of the accident, Godwin is expected to make a full recovery.
“All is good. He will be having a quick recovery,” UGA men’s track coach Petros Kyprianou said in a statement, according to DawgNation.
“It was truly an accident,” added Athletic Director Greg McGarity. “Nobody threw anything or anything like that.”
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In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the University of Georgia shared that Godwin was in “stable condition” following his surgery, according to DawgNation.
“(Godwin) was injured when he backed into a stationary javelin that was resting implanted in the ground. He was transported to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. He underwent surgery and is in stable condition,” the statement read.