As May is National Water Safety Month in the United States, this story is a good reminder that no swimmer, no matter how accomplished or competent in the pool, should swim alone.
Former British Olympian Shelagh Ratlciffe had a scary brush with disaster last month, suffering cardiac arrest and nearly drowning in her local pool. Ratliff needed to be rescued by the pool’s lifeguards.
Ratcliffe is now 63, but competed in the 200 and 400 IMs at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games. She was also a two-time medalist at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, earning silver in the 200 IM and bronze in the 400 IM.
But Ratcliffe went into cardiac arrest while swimming last month, according to the Western Morning News, and was floating face up, unconscious, when the lifeguards went into action.
An off-duty lifeguard who was swimming at the same time as Ratcliffe pulled her from the water, and another lifeguard used a defibrillator to restart Ratliff’s heart.
The Western Morning News reports that Ratcliffe made a full recovery from the scary incident, and returned to the leisure center this week to thank the staff for saving her life.
I remember she was one of the best in her days in the 1960s. Very happy to read she is ok.
Hey Lane Four, would I be wrong in thinking that you were once pretty good(!!) at breaststroke?