Nice, France – The condition of former world athletics champion Stephane Diagana, who underwent surgery after a road accident last Friday, has improved sufficiently for him to come out of intensive care, a hospital statement reported.
“The progess of the state of Stephane Diagana's health is favourable. There haven't been any complications up to now,” the statement added.
“He is going to come out of the intensive care unit run by professor Carole Ichai at the Saint-Roch hospital today (Monday),” it confirmed.
The 41-year-old Diagana, the first French male athlete to become world champion when he won the 400m hurdles title in Athens in 1997, was riding his bicycle when he was involved in a collision with a car at Vence in southern France on Friday.
He was airlifted to Saint-Roch hospital in nearby Nice, and had an operation on his jaw overnight Friday.
Diagana, who has held the European 400m hurdles record since 1995, retired from athletics in 2004 but has acted in an advisory capacity to the French Athletics Federation. – Sapa-AFP