Dan Jones, a resident of Weaverham in Northwich, Cheshire, was taking part in a Strongman competition held in Southport, U.K., when a terrifying injury occurred.Jones, who works as a senior IT analyst, had made it all the way to the finals. The last challenge involved carrying an 80kg weight over a 20-meter stretch to the finish line.
But just before reaching the end, disaster struck. Jones collapsed suddenly, rupturing both patellar tendons—the ones that connect the thigh muscles to the shinbones—causing his kneecaps to shoot upward into his thighs.
Emergency services rushed him to the hospital right away.Once he arrived at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, the father of one received pain relief and then underwent a grueling five-hour surgery where doctors worked to reconnect the torn tendons.
He remained hospitalized for recovery, where he began the tough journey of relearning how to walk.
Dan Jones was competing in a Strongman competition when the ‘freak accident’ happened.Kennedy News and Media
“The guy that I was racing against was in first place at the time, so I was having to beat him, which is why I was going as fast as I could.”“It was a freak accident, we’re still not 100 percent sure how it happened.”
“After slowing down the video with doctors and surgeons, it looks like my right knee patellar tendon snaps out of nowhere, which causes my leg to fold underneath me.”
“Then my left knee bends underneath me, and this tendon snaps on impact with the ground.”“I felt like I was on fire, my kneecaps were in my quads because my tendons ruptured.”
Jones went on to share more details about what the surgery involved. “During surgery, the doctors said they needed to fuse my tendons back together and make sure my ligaments underneath my knee were where they should be.”
Dan Jones had to undergo a five-hour operation to have his tendons fused back together.Kennedy News and Media
“They then needed to put two sutures into my shin and build an internal brace to help my body fuse the tendon back together as best it can.”“I was in bed and not able to move my legs. I was worried about everything. I was thinking, ‘Will I be able to walk again? How long will it take?'”
“The best guess is potentially the stress of the day [caused the injury] as there is no real reason why it happened, because there were no signs, it was just a freak accident.”
“The doctor said it was very rare to see two patellar tendons go at the same time.”Reflecting on the painful moment, Jones said what stood out most was the sudden shift in the crowd’s energy.
“The weirdest thing I remember is silence. The whole crowd was cheering everyone on, and then it went deathly silent, and I just lay on the floor,”
Dan Jones has documented his recovery on social media.Kennedy News and Media
“I was very upset, I had a chance of winning. We were very near to the end with 10 metres to go in the competition.”“I only needed three more seconds of running to finish the event.”
During surgery, doctors inserted an internal brace into both legs to assist the tendon healing process. Jones also attends regular physio to aid his recovery.
He’s also documenting his progress through videos on TikTok, keeping his followers updated along the way.Jones remains hopeful about the future. While the injury was severe, he still dreams of returning to competition someday.
“The surgeon has said it could be the end of all the Strongman competitions, but it’s a case-by-case basis.”
Dan Jones is optimistic about the future and hopes to one day compete again.Kennedy News and Media
“He said it would be very rare that I’d be able to compete at the level I was again, but we don’t know until I start healing.”“My biggest goal is to be a dad and be able to chase my daughter around and play with her.”
“I should be able to go to the gym and do aspects of the Strongman things.”
“There is a chance I could still do their Strongman, but maybe not at the same I was before. I’m not going to give up on it [the dream].”“It has been horrendous, but I’ve got little goals to meet, such as standing up and moving around, and now my next goal is to try and stand unassisted.”
“The only thing that is keeping me going is these little goals.”
