Portuguese athlete Vasco Vilaca, 22, had an unexpected companion at sea.
The seal swam – and bit him.
– I just thought: “What the hell is this,” says Villaca.
The drama unfolded at Zuma Beach in the posh Malibu area of California on Friday. Villaca was outside in a training session when he was suddenly attacked by an aggressive seal.
– When I realized that it was a seal, I just thought: “What the hell is this.” He kind of started swimming right at me and got very close, like a dog jumping up to curse someone. I tried to push it away in a cautious and calm manner, Villaca says in an interview with Eurosport.
Nothing goes further than that.
Bite in the arm
A big wave came and a kind of hesitant wrestling ensued between him and the seal.
– Then she bit my arm and refused to let go. I tried to open my mouth, but I cut my hand over the seal’s teeth, says Villaca.
He finally made it to shore in relatively good condition.
When asked if he feared death, he replied:
– I was thinking more about surviving…
“Lucky or unlucky?”
22-year-old Vasco Vilaca has won a World Cup silver medal since 2020, and last weekend, he climbed his first Premier League podium in a sub-competition in Munich, Germany.
And despite the seal’s attack, he will start this weekend’s race in Malibu.
Depending on how you look at it, I was either very lucky or very unlucky. He says at least I’ve got the ‘Seal of Approval’.
