Full story:
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../25369.asp
Excerpt:
Passages: Fran Crippen, 26 - FINA, USA Swimming Release Statements -- October 23, 2010
FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates, October 23. SHORTLY after the FINA Open Water 10K World Cup swim today in the UAE, United States swimmer Fran Crippen, 26, passed away after falling unconscious during the race.
With the water in the mid-to-high 80s, the competitors all finished and noticed that Crippen had not crossed the finish line. Meet management brought in deep sea divers, who found Crippen unconscious just before the final buoy nearly two hours later. He was transported to the Fujairah Hospital and later died according to information provided to Swimming World. Conflicting reports state that he was found dead on the course.
Crippen had shown signs of slowing down during the third lap of the five-lap race. When Crippen did not immediately finish, a fact noticed by teammate Alex Meyer who screamed for help, the competing swimmers rushed back into the water to help with the search.
Information provided to Swimming World demonstrates that the water was likely too hot for the event as several swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race....
Bet they will now
probably have rules about
allowable water temps for races
lower ratio of swimmers per kayak escorts/lifeguards
maybe safety monitors in helicopters
maybe requirements for brighter suits so swimmers are easier to see
maybe more check points & GPS chips in suits
Those are all excellent ideas, Ande; especially having a lower ratio of swimmers per kayak escorts/lifeguards. I don't think a tragedy like this would have happened in a high-profile OW race in the U.S.A., such as the OW championships that were recently in Long Beach. From what I could tell watching it on my computer, there were kayak escorts, lifeguards, and official boats everywhere. I was really impressed by how well covered the course was and the close eye the guards were keeping on the swimmers. If a swimmer had been in trouble, somebody would have been right there. It just amazes me that this wasn't the case for Fran. Somebody should have been there for him. And, I still wonder where his coach was; especially since he was aware of Fran not feeling well. Shouldn't that have been a (serious!) red flag??? :worms:
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
Bet they will now
probably have rules about
allowable water temps for races
lower ratio of swimmers per kayak escorts/lifeguards
maybe safety monitors in helicopters
maybe requirements for brighter suits so swimmers are easier to see
maybe more check points & GPS chips in suits
Those are all excellent ideas, Ande; especially having a lower ratio of swimmers per kayak escorts/lifeguards. I don't think a tragedy like this would have happened in a high-profile OW race in the U.S.A., such as the OW championships that were recently in Long Beach. From what I could tell watching it on my computer, there were kayak escorts, lifeguards, and official boats everywhere. I was really impressed by how well covered the course was and the close eye the guards were keeping on the swimmers. If a swimmer had been in trouble, somebody would have been right there. It just amazes me that this wasn't the case for Fran. Somebody should have been there for him. And, I still wonder where his coach was; especially since he was aware of Fran not feeling well. Shouldn't that have been a (serious!) red flag??? :worms:
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
