Irish Olympian Jack Woolley is recovering from emergency surgery after being viciously attacked in Dublin.
Woolley, who in Tokyo became his country's first ever taekwondo athlete to compete at a summer games, was hospitalised after being assaulted by a gang as he walked with friends through the city centre in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The gang are alleged to have then carried out further attacks on people walking along Grattan Bridge.
Woolley, 22, posted graphic images of his injuries on social media and said he was grateful the damage had not been more severe.
"I'm all right, it could be a lot worse," he said.
"Luckily I got off light compared to other people but I'm doing as best I can.
"I was out having a few drinks with friends I hadn't seen since I've got back from Tokyo, and I was walking down the street next to the (River) Liffey.
"I heard a noise and there was a few people on the street and by the time I turned back around to look where I was going, there was a few people on the road and one of them just turned and hit me, then apologised and said 'oh sorry, I hit the wrong person'.
"A ring connected with my front teeth and bust my front lip open."
Other people in the area were attacked with glass bottles and two were stabbed as the emergency services rushed to the scene.
"I was the first one to be attacked and I was the last put in an ambulance, that's how bad other people were injured.
"I''m just grateful that it didn't get any worse."
He is now at home recovering and admitted the nature of the injuries mean there will be no rapid recovery.
"The way it was cut was all the way through, there was a hole in my face and my top lip had completely come off so I needed to get stitches in the front and the back to get it back on.
"I'm just taking each day as it comes. It's a bit tender."
Woolley, from Tallaght, has had more than 130 registered taekwondo fights and competed in the 58kg division in the Olympics, but was eliminated by Argentinian Lucas Guzman in his opening fight in Japan.
