Published : Aug. 12, 2012 - 13:19
This photo is not directly related to the story. Triathletes compete during the men`s triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday in London. (AP-Yonhap News)
An athlete competing in the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City and New Jersey died Saturday after having a medical problem during the swimming portion of the grueling triathlon, race officials said.
The competitor “experienced distress” during a 3.9-kilometer swim in the Hudson River at the start of the all-day competition, a publicist for the race organizers said. The course ran along the New Jersey shoreline, just north of the George Washington Bridge.
The swimmer was pulled out of the water and taken to a hospital in nearby Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, but did not survive. The organizers said the cause of death is unknown. An autopsy is planned.
New York City police said the contestant was a 43-year-old man. His name has not yet been released.
“On behalf of all of us in the triathlon community, we mourn his death and send our condolences to his family and loved ones,” organizers said in a statement.
Contestants in the race followed their swim in the Hudson with a 180-kilometer bicycle ride through the suburbs, and then a 42.2-kilometer marathon that finished at Manhattan's Riverside Park.
Jordan Rapp, a winner of multiple Ironman titles, won the race in an unofficial time of 8 hours, 11 minutes and 18 seconds.
Earlier in the week, officials had warned of partially treated sewage that was being discharged into the Hudson River while a broken pipe was fixed upriver in suburban Westchester County. Eventually, the discharge was stanched, and tests were done to determine the race course was safe for swimming, organizers said.
Deaths in triathlon competitions have happened with regularity in recent years, almost always during the swim, and the Hudson River has been particularly dangerous.
Two people died during the swim portion of the Nautica New York City Triathlon last summer. A male competitor also died during the New York City Triathlon in 2008. (AP)
철인 3종 경기하던 선수 숨져
미국에서 철인 3종경기에 참여하던 한 남성이 돌연사하는 사고가 발생했다.
뉴욕에서 열린 ‘철인 미국 챔피언십’에 참가한 이 43세 남성은 경기의 첫 부분인 3.9 킬로미터 수영 도중 원인불명의 의료문제를 겪었다. 그는 곧 구조되어 근처 병원으로 후송되었지만 끝내 숨졌다.
그의 정확한 사인을 아직 밝혀지지 않았으며, 그의 시신은 부검될 예정이다.
주최측에서는 성명을 통해 “철인3종경기 커뮤니티를 대표해 그의 죽음을 애도하며 그의 가족과 사랑하는 이들에게 조의를 뜻을 표한다”고 밝혔다.
철인3종경기는 수영, 자전거, 마라톤 세 종목을 휴식 없이 연속으로 해야 하는 경기이다.
이번 경기에 참가한 선수들은 먼저 뉴욕주과 뉴져지 사이에 흐르는 허드슨 강을 따라 3.9 킬로미터를 헤엄친 다음, 교외지역에서 180여 킬로미터를 자전거로 주행한 뒤 뉴욕시 맨하탄의 리버사이드 공원까지 42.2 킬로미터 마라톤까지 완주해야 했다.
철인3종경기는 경기는 신체를 극한의 상황까지 몰고 가는 경기이기 때문에 사망사고 역시 가끔 발생하는데, 수영 도중 사망하는 경우가 대부분이다.
작년에 열린 노티카 뉴욕시 철인3종경기에서는 수영 도중 두 명이 사망했고, 2008년 대회에서도 한 남성이 사망했다.
한편, 이번 대회는 조던 랩이 8시간 11분 18초를 기록하며 우승을 차지했다.