Martina Navratilova forced to abandon Kilimanjaro climb
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova was forced to abandon her ascent on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and had to turn back during the hike up the highest peaks in Africa.
The sports charity Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which the player was climbing for, announced that Navratilova had been unable to complete the climb after feeling unwell during the ascent.
The former Women’s Tennis Association pro, who is fifty-four-years-old, needed assistance to climb back down the slope. She was helped down the mountain by porters. Once on the ground, she was then driven to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre for medical attention and assessment.
Navratilova and her team of 27 people have been climbing the peak since Monday. Since then they have faced storms, mist, and, heavy snowfall during their attempt to reach the tip of the mountain, which stands tall at 19,340 feet – equivalent to 5,895 meters.
Navratilova put up an entry on her blog on Thursday, giving details about the weather and saying, “[It is] getting a little better, but the going is getting tougher and tougher. It seems to be constantly steep and as we started to approach the highest point yet, 4500 meters above sea level, sheer exhaustion set in for much of the group, and with heavy legs and chests pounding due to a lack of oxygen, every step becomes an effort”.
According to the sports charity, Navratilova was “in good spirits” despite the obvious disappointment of leaving the mountain. The tennis star, who has won 18 singles Grand Slam titles, told The Associated Press that she had never climbed higher than twelve thousand feet, before.
In her interview last week, she had also stated that she was “petrified” of not being able to finish the climb. She stated, “Then the whole world will know”. Navratilova had also been planning to fire a few tennis balls from the summit, for the cause. The rest of Martina Navratilova’s team will continue the climb, and should reach the summit on Saturday, if their trip goes according to plan.
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