A national-level basketball prodigy was crushed to death when a hoop collapsed on him during an ill-fated dunk attempt.
Horrifying CCTV shows 16-year-old Hardik Rathi sprinting forward, leaping high and grabbing the rim.
The entire structure then buckled under his weight and slammed forward, smashing him onto the hard court.
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Panicked players rushed in and heaved the heavy backboard off his chest as Hardik writhed in agony on the ground in Lakhan Majra, north-west of New Delhi, India.
He was rushed to a hospital in nearby Rohtak but died from internal bleeding on Tuesday (25 Nov).
Hardik picked up basketball at age 11 and had already spent five years competing at the national level.
He and his younger brother trained for six hours every day, as reported by Need To Know.
He had recently played at the Youth National Basketball Championship in Puducherry and was preparing for a major tournament in Nepal.
His cousin, Khadak Singh Rathi, told local media: “Hardik was a decent, focused boy. His dream was to lead India in basketball.”
The court – built in 2009 – has now been sealed off while an investigation takes place.
Tragically, just two days earlier, another teen,15-year-old Aman, was killed in similar circumstances in Bahadurgarh when a basketball pole gave way during practice.
He, too, died in a Rohtak hospital from internal injuries.
