Gritty golfer Daniela Holmqvist carried on playing in a top tournament – despite being bitten by a deadly spider.
The Swedish professional refused medical help after being nipped on the leg by what was believed to be a potentially lethal black widow.
Instead the tough 24-year-old used the tip of a tee to gouge out the venom and continue her round.
The drama happened at the Royal Canberra Golf Club in Yarralumla, in the Handa Australian open.
Daniela was hitting out of the rough on the fourth hole when she felt a sharp pain on her ankle.
She swatted the spider away – then stunned spectators by ignoring advice to seek urgent medical attention.
As her leg began to swell, she calmly performed a DIY operation by jabbing herself with the tee to pierce the bite mark and squeeze out the poison.
Daniela, who eventually completed the round with a respectable 74, said: “A clear fluid came out.
"It wasn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever done but I had to get as much of it out of me as possible.
“When I told the local caddies they were horrified. They said it was a black widow and immediately started looking for their phones to call the medics.”
Worried first-aiders followed her around the course to make sure she did not pass out.
Tournament officials said yesterday it was more likely she was bitten by a redback – an equally deadly Australian relative of the black widow.
Recovering back at her hotel, Daniela joked about the incident on Twitter – dubbing herself Spider-Woman.
But she added: “I don’t recommend getting bitten by a black widow – it still hurts.’
More than 250 people a year are treated for redback bites, mainly in the summer months.
No deaths have been reported since the discovery of an antidote in 1955.
source: http://www.mirror.co.uk
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