Sports
The Day Rosecler Was Stung in the Face by a Man-of-War in Kona
During training for the 2018 Ironman World Championship, the triathlete was stung by a Portuguese man-of-war and needed emergency rescue before race day.
Days before the Ironman World Championship in Kona, a training swim in Hawaiian waters turned into an extreme ordeal for Rosecler Costa. The triathlete was stung directly in the face by a Portuguese man-of-war and required emergency treatment right on the beach.
Competing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, is the ultimate pinnacle for endurance athletes. For Rosecler Costa, the 2018 experience was even more special because she brought her entire family: her children Marcela, then 11, and Rogério, 9, took a surprise trip to cheer on their mother in the temple of triathlon.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
Crystal-clear waters and pre-race panic
Used to swimming in Santos, Brazil, where water visibility is low, Marcela felt the shocking clarity of the Hawaiian ocean during her very first dives off the pier. The water was so clear you could see every detail of marine life and even the buoy ropes reaching all the way to the seafloor. Intimidated by the vastness of the open ocean, her daughter decided not to participate in the traditional 3.8 km practice swim held a week before the main event.
Marcela's decision soon proved to be a blessing in disguise. Later that same day, shifting tides and lunar phases drew a massive swarm of Portuguese man-of-war and jellyfish into Kailua Bay, turning the course into a minefield.
Jet ski rescue and anaphylactic shock
Rosecler had barely started swimming and had not even reached the first buoy when disaster struck. A Portuguese man-of-war hit her directly in the face, stinging the exposed skin from her neck to her forehead between her goggles and swim cap. Overcome by intense, burning pain, she waved down the support crew and was swiftly evacuated to shore by jet ski.
Inside the beachside ambulance, the venom triggered violent spasms and uncontrollable shivering in Rosecler. With her husband Marcelo struggling with the language barrier to understand the paramedics, pro triathlete Igor Amorelli arrived on the scene and helped translate for the medical team.
One hour of shivering and a secured start line
The medical crew explained that the spasms and acute reaction would last precisely one hour, with no immediate treatment available beyond basic supportive care. Right on the sixty-minute mark, the convulsions finally subsided.
Around 50 swimmers were stung during that same session, but none suffered an impact as severe as Rosecler, who took a direct hit to the face. Despite the burns and the scare that shook her entire family, the triathlete recovered over the following days and lined up as planned to complete IRONMAN Kona one week later.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
