Vidal suffers heart attack

The French ITU triathlete, Laurent Vidal, has reportedly suffered a heart attack whilst training yesterday.

According to the French newspaper Midi Libre, the 30-year-old complained of chest pain whilst swimming, left the pool and went into cardiac arrest as the emergency services were called. On regaining consciousness he was airlifted to hospital in Montpellier.

Two-time Olympian Vidal, whose partner is New Zealand elite female triathlete Andrea Hewitt, is a consistent performer at the front of ITU races and last raced in New Plymouth in New Zealand in March, where he finished 10th.

He was also sixth in the London Grand Final in September and fifth in the London Olympic Games, a place behind team-mate David Hauss and less than a minute behind gold medal winner Alistair Brownlee.

Fellow triathletes rallied round to offer support on social media. Men’s world champion Javier Gomez tweeted:

Wishing all the best to my friend @laurentvidal get well soon man

— Javi Gomez Noya (@Jgomeznoya) April 24, 2014

The sentiment was echoed by women’s world champ Non Stanford:

Shocked by today’s news…Sending love and best wishes to @laurentvidal and @andreahewittnz. Get well soon Laurent xx

— Non Stanford (@NonStanford) April 24, 2014

And Hamish Carter, the 2004 Olympic champ who himself has suffered heart problems, added to 220: “My thoughts go out to Laurent, his family and Andrea. He’s a great guy and I hope he recovers soon.”

We’ll keep you updated on this story when we have news. The 220 Team wishes Laurent a speedy recovery.

Matt Baird Editor of Cycling Plus magazine

About

Matt is a regular contributor to 220 Triathlon, having joined the magazine in 2008. He’s raced everything from super-sprint to Ironman, duathlons and off-road triathlons, and can regularly be seen on the roads and trails around Bristol. Matt is the author of Triathlon! from Aurum Press and is now the editor of Cycling Plus magazine.