Portuguese matador gored and hospitalized after bull tosses him during Toledo corrida

Joao D'Alva, a 25-year-old Portuguese matador, was gored through the back and thrown into the air during a bullfight on Thursday in Villaseca de la Sagra, Toledo, Spain, officials said. He was treated at the scene and transferred to hospital for surgery after suffering a severe wound to his lower back.

Toledo Hospital said the goring measured about 20 centimetres long and 10 centimetres deep, with both entry and exit wounds in the right lumbosacral region near the base of the spine. Medical personnel described ruptured paravertebral muscles and said D'Alva received on-site care to control bleeding before being moved to the University Hospital of Toledo, where he underwent an operation on the lumbar wound.

Video from the 25th Golden Potter competition in Villaseca de la Sagra showed the bull charging as D'Alva walked with his muleta. The animal lifted D'Alva on its horn and dropped him onto the sand. Ring assistants intervened to distract the bull and remove the matador from the arena. Local reports said D'Alva was visibly weakened and in pain at the on-site infirmary before his transfer. He later shared messages of support on social media but did not provide a detailed update on his condition.

Bullfighting outlet Touro e Ouro reported that D'Alva is expected to return to the ring. The incident occurred during the first bull-calf of the afternoon and comes weeks after a fatal attack on another Portuguese bullfighter in Lisbon.

On Aug. 23 in Lisbon’s Campo Pequeno, a 1,500-pound bull lifted and rammed matador Trindade into the wall of the arena. Trindade suffered severe brain injuries and later died. A 73-year-old spectator at that event also fell ill during the show and was transported to hospital, where he died, according to local reports.

Spain has seen several serious injuries and deaths connected to bull-related events in recent months and years. In La Vall d’Uixó, north-east of Valencia, a man was seriously injured last autumn when a running bull impaled him near the groin; the on-site medical team and two spectator doctors gave first aid. In September, a 20-year-old was killed during a bull-running festival in El Casar, Castilla-La Mancha, when a bull’s horn pierced his chest. Authorities previously reported a 57-year-old man died in hospital in May after complications seven weeks following two goring incidents during a bullfight in Vall d'Uixó. In September 2023, Jose Antonio Subies, a 61-year-old executive, died after being gored at a festival near Valencia.

Bullfighting and bull-running events remain regular fixtures of regional festivals in Spain and Portugal, and authorities and medical teams typically staff arenas and course routes to respond to injuries. D'Alva's case will be added to a series of recent high-profile incidents that have drawn renewed attention to the risks faced by participants and spectators at such events.