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No Kidney, No Problem for Aries Merritt - SPIKESPublished by
Rejecting FailurePublished by SPIKES on October 23, 2015 Summer came to an abrupt end for Aries Merritt. Three days after winning bronze at the Beijing World Championships, the 110m hurdles world record holder was given a new kidney by his sister in an operating theatre back in Arizona. Merritt's kidney function in Beijing had been "around 17%". Anything below 20% is deemed as failure. In this exclusive excerpt from the Olympic champion's interview with Forever Sports – the only international media the 30-year-old has spoken to since leaving hospital – we learn the extent of Merritt's physical decline in 2015. Reading it, it is easy to appreciate why the bronze medal he won in August means more to him than any other. The conversation took place ten days after Merritt's operation. He and LaToya, his sister and donor, were recovering well. He was at home, surrounded by family and in good spirits, filling time between hospital visits playing video games. At the time he was hopeful of recovering in time for the indoor season, but a "small bump in the road" since has delayed his return, making a run out at the Portland world indoors in March unlikely. Though he is "bummed out" about missing the chance to perform at a home championships, Merritt has a main target for 2016: “I want to defend in Rio.” Read the full article at: spikes.iaaf.org
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