Russian weightlifter's leg snaps as he attempts to squat 250kg

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A Russian weightlifter has suffered a horrifying injury while attempting to squat 250kg during a powerlifting competition.

Yaroslav Radashkevich suffered a compound fracture of his right tibia as he attempted the lift at the Eurasian Weightlifting Championship in Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East.

The sickening video shows Radashkevich lowering himself with the weight, pausing for a moment with his legs bent before one snaps under him, sending him to the floor.

After a loud snapping sound is heard, cries of horror reverberate around the hall as spectators react to the career-ending injury.

The moment that Radashkevich's leg broke was captured on video. Photo / Supplied

Radashkevich had been suffering with a leg injury for weeks before the event, telling Russian news site Amur: "It turns out that two weeks ago my leg began to hurt badly. I thought that it was just pulled, so I did not pay attention, I just had painkillers, trained, prepared. I was also advised it would pass by itself, heal.

"The first two efforts the same weight, starting, I could not squat down. In the first and second attempts I strained a bit, my knees inward, outward, shaken. And after that the pain in the shins intensified.

Radashkevich's sickening leg injury. Photo / Supplied

Well, in the third attempt, the same weight - when I squatted something happened - you can see in the video."

Radashkevich is now recovering in hospital and facing both the end of his sporting career and extended time off from his work as a personal trainer.

X-ray showing the extent of the weightlifter's injury. Photo / Supplied

The athlete is appealing for donations to help towards paying bills, including his mounting medical costs.