As if the "Velodrome" wasn't an intimidating enough name already, now, sadly, we've had someone die shortly after falling ill in the venue.
A British Olympic superfan was found sick in the building's bathrooms last Friday. Conrad Readman, 49, was then rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead of a suspected heart attack -- possibly incurred by the drama and intensity of indoor cycling he just experienced. The Brits have been fantastic inside the 'Drome this year, and it's been said the Pringle is one of the hottest tickets/loudest venues at these Games. It's a whir of suspense, where the sound reverberates so intensely off the slopes of the walls and ceiling.
Readman's death is particularly sad/ironic because he snagged tickets for an event every day of the Olympics. He took off the two weeks from his job. He was immersing himself in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an undertaking that ultimately cost him his life.
In the drop-quote below you get a look at how proud this guy was of his country and gleeful over his opportunities to watch the world's best.
The Guardian has more:
Readman had watched up to three sports each day since the start of the Olympics on 27 July and had seen Tom Daley, Rebecca Adlington and Michael Phelps in action. He was at the canoe slalom when Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie won gold for Great Britain. In the days leading up to his death he had filled his Facebook page with hundreds of pictures of himself at various Olympic events. Others showed him posing with BBC presenters.
The chartered accountant lived with, and cared for, his elderly mother, Joan. She said: "Conrad had been looking forward to the Olympics ever since it was announced and there was never a day he was not excited about it."
She told the Colchester Gazette: "He was coming home every night so excited and telling me about everything he had done."
She said Readman had never had a problem with his heart and had not been to a doctor in 15 years.
"He died doing something he loved so I am happy he was where he was, but I can't watch any of it now … I had it on all day, every day but I can't bear it now – it's so sad."
The day before his death, the Tottenham Hotspur fan spoke of his enjoyment of the Games on Twitter.
He wrote: "Love the snap of Wills n Kate celebrating GB gold win – the joy the whole nation feels."
Guh. How terrible. But, yes, for a massive sports fan, what a way to go.
If you're interested in the macabre, here are his photos on Facebook. The man got around the grounds, to say the least.
This now makes for the second death on the grounds of these Games. Last week, a pedestrian on a bicycle was struck and killed by a media shuttle bus in Olympic Park.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario