During a fair in southwest France, renowned Spanish matador Iván Fandiño was sadly killed in 2017 after being gored by a bull.
After becoming caught in his cape, the 36-year-old veteran lost his balance at the Aire-sur-l’Adour bullfighting occasion.
Father Fandiño, who was born in the Basque Country of Spain, had been a professional matador for more than ten years and was well-known for facing bulls that other matadors in the sport deemed too risky. He had previously taken part in a previous fight the day of the accident before returning to the ring.
The charging bull struck Fandiño with its horn when he stumbled over his cape and fell to the ground during the struggle. The beast, which weighed over half a ton, stabbed him in the chest, piercing his lungs and other important organs.
Fandiño was conscious but seriously bleeding as he was brought out of the arena. His last words were later recorded by witnesses as, “Hurry up, I’m dying.” He died of a heart attack while traveling to the hospital.
“I can’t believe it,” said fellow matador Juan del Álamo, who later killed the bull, incredulously at the turn of events. We all don’t know how it happened; it happened so quickly. He fell face down after being knocked down by the bull’s hindquarters.
In the past, Fandiño had suffered severe injuries. He lost consciousness in the ring in Bayonne, France, in 2014, and was flung into the air during a fight in Pamplona, Spain, in 2015. Nevertheless, the fact that he was the first matador to die in France in almost a century startled the bullfighting community. The final one was Isidoro Mari Fernando, who passed away in Béziers in 1921, according to the regional French daily Sud-Ouest.
After Fandiño passed away, accolades flowed in from all around Spain, including one from King Felipe VI, who hailed him as a “great bullfighting figure.” Mariano Rajoy, the then-prime minister, also made a tribute.
Fandiño passed away less than a year after Spanish matador Víctor Barrio, the first matador to die in Spain in thirty years, and another well-known bullring death. Barrio was gored to death during a broadcast event.
The custom of bullfighting is still very contentious. It was deemed lawful in France in 2012 when courts determined that it was a part of the nation’s local cultural heritage, while being prohibited in other areas. Despite mounting calls for a complete prohibition from animal rights activists, Spain also maintains its protection of the practice.
