S Red-hot youngster Sam Hagon talks about his powerhouse pedigree, battling back from injuries and big-time move to the Pirates. By PHIL LANNING
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AM HAGON admitted his goggles were “full of blood” and he almost lost his left eye.
It was a horror crash at Mildenhall in late 2021 which left him looking like he’d just been battered over ten rounds and left on the canvas by Mike Tyson.
But plucky Hagon, 19, is now aiming to punch above his weight after moving into the Championship big time with powerhouse Poole.
The youngster is made of stern stuff and ready for the extra pressure at the serial winners of Wimborne Road.
He has recovered from two really nasty injuries in three seasons, most recently a dislocated hip sustained at Edinburgh at the end of last season.
However, he has been delivering impressive results to get him the glam move to the Pirates.
What is striking about Hagon is his maturity. He is well spoken, measured and polite. In our interview, he admits that he has the most decorated dynasty and pedigree in the sport, with his family on both sides having glorious racing heritage. But his steel shoe remains firmly planted on the ground.
On his horror injuries, he told me: “In the Mildenhall crash, my goggles were full of blood and I needed more than 21 stitches both inside and outside of the cut but I was lucky at the same time as I nearly lost my left eye.
“I don’t actually remember anything much from that hour but I’ve seen the pictures of the crash and it was a big one. It was a severe crash but I hadn’t broken any bones.
“Thankfully, the hospital gave me the all clear with the eye and it has ended up working out well. It was a bad crash but strangely it didn’t really hurt.
“I also got knocked out so I don’t really remember much about it. I hit my left eye between the eyebrow and the eye, the little gap.
“That was a freak accident at Mildenhall. I went into the first corner and we all wanted one spot. I was on the outside and on the end of a domino effect.
“The dislocated hip was the worst injury I’ve had in my career. I just kind of slid
HAGON-FIR
2 speedway star December 9, 2023
