Rotorua kickboxer in ICU after fight ‘Every time we step into the ring, it’s a risk we take’

• Published date: 28 March 2024
• Author: John Lewis Otago Daily Times
• Publication title: Daily Post, The (Rotorua, New Zealand)

Chase Haley beat Riine LeComte, of Rotorua, to win the New Zealand International Sport Kickboxing Association pro super-cruiserweight belt at Balclutha’s Battle at the Bridge II on Saturday night

However, rather than celebrating the win, Haley was “devastated” and “heartbroken” after the fight, when he learnt LeComte was in Dunedin Hospital having major brain surgery.

Event organiser Robert Ngari-Dean said LeComte seemed fine after the fight.

“The doctor gave him a post-fight check and everything was normal.”

LeComte attended a large celebration party, but had only one drink before leaving.

“He went back to his hotel and went and saw his coach and told him he wasn’t feeling so good.”

The coach took him to a medical centre in Balclutha and LeComte was put in a St John ambulance and taken to Dunedin Hospital.

“On the way, they had to stop in Waihola because he started having seizures,” Ngari-Dean said.

When he got to Dunedin, doctors found he had a bleed on the left side of his brain.

He had surgery, which involved removing part of his skull, to fix the bleed.

Ngari-Dean said if LeComte had gone straight to bed instead of seeking help, he probably would have died.

He said LeComte was still in the intensive care unit, but was responding well to treatment and the prognosis was good.

“We’re not out of the woods, but we’re on the right track.”

He said...