An Oregon teenager lost his grandfather at nearly the exact moment he won the state wrestling title.
According to Daily Mail, Matt Hofenbredl of Dallas, OR, was about halfway through the third and final round of his match at the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night when his 70-year-old grandfather fell unconscious in the stands.
His assistant coach, who is also a firefighter, performed CPR before paramedics rushed to the scene.
Unaware of his grandfather's situation, the Dallas High School senior leaped into his coach's arms after winning the match.
He was then met by his mother, who had come down from her seat to alert him of the bad news.
The cheering crowd went silent and the tournament was put on pause for about 10 minutes as Matt ran up to see his grandfather, the Statesman Journal reports.
Larry Hofenbredl had suffered a heart attack and was soon pronounced dead at the hospital.
The student, along with his teammates and coaches, left the arena before Matt could be presented his third state title on the awards podium.
The champion tweeted on Saturday night,
Thanks to everyone that has been here for me in the last hour, it sure has been rough thank to everyone.
Matt won the 132-lb championship by a 7-1 decision over the boy who beat him for last year's state title.
Citations: High school wrestler wins state championship as his grandfather suffers fatal heart attack in the stands (Daily Mail), Dallas Matt Hofenbredl wins 3rd state wrestling title (The Statesman Journal)
