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Taiwanese runner loses both her legs after ultramarathon

Taiwan’s leading female ultramarathon runner has had to have both legs amputated after blisters on her foot developed into an infection, press reports said yesterday.

Chiu Shu-jung (邱淑容), 51, remained in a coma in a French hospital following the amputation of her left leg on Aug. 31 and of her right leg last Monday, the Chinese-language China Times daily said.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has instructed Taiwan’s foreign ministry to assist the French hospital, the Central News Agency reported.

MOTHER OF TWO

Chiu, a mother of two and a clerk at China Steel Corp, took part in the annual 1,500km La Trans Gaule ultramarathon race from Aug. 13 to Aug. 31.

On the 16th day of the 18-day race from Roscoff in northwestern France to Gruissan-Plage on the Mediterranean, blisters on Chiu’s left foot broke.

However, she continued to run and finished 17th of the 44 runners to complete the race.

BLOOD POISONING

Chiu was diagnosed with septicemia, also called blood poisoning, a potentially life-threatening infection, and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Montpellier.

Doctors removed her left leg and the sole of her right foot on Aug. 31, and amputated her right leg last Monday to stop the infection from spreading.

Chiu had been scheduled to join an ultramarathon event in South Korea after the race in France.
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