Track team runner rushed to surgery after blow to head from discus, Georgia team says

A high school athlete suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a flying discus at a track meet, according to team officials in Georgia.

Xander Garanzuay underwent surgery Saturday, March 1, and is in stable condition, Woodstock High School Cross Country reported in March 2 Facebook post. Woodstock is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Atlanta.

A GoFundMe reports Garanzuay “was struck in the back of head.”

“He fell unconscious and was seizing. He was then (flown) to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery over the weekend,” the fundraising campaign says.

Specifics of the incident were not released, but a photo shared by the team shows it happened at Cartersville’s Weinman Stadium, which hosted the Cartersville High School Purple Hurricane Invitational on March 1.

The “very serious” blow happened during the meet, and “recovery looks to be a long and difficult process,” according to MileSplitGA, a news site dedicated to high school track and field and cross country sports in Georgia.

Garanzuay is a member of the school’s Class of 2028 and competes in the 3,200 meter run and the 800 meter run, the site said.

Discus is a track and field event in which “athletes throw a heavy, round-shaped disc as far as possible while remaining inside a 2.5-meter diameter circle,” Worldathletics.org says.

The discus weighs about 3.5 pounds for high school boys and 2.2 pounds for girls, Throwslab.com reports.

This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Track team runner rushed to surgery after blow to head from discus, Georgia team says."