Winter Olympics skier with history of heart problems collapses as rivals rush to help | Other | Sport

Winter Olympics skier Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold collapsed on Sunday sparking huge fears. The Norwegian athlete, who has a history of heart problems, fell to the ground in a heap and appeared motionless after crossing the line in the biathlon 10km pursuit final. Concerned rivals rushed to her aid before Tandrevold was carried away by members of Norway’s coaching team.

The 25-year-old is said to be ‘conscious’ but the reason for her collapse is not yet known with her manager Per Arne Botnan insisting he doesn’t have any information.

Tandrevold had been in medal contention but struggled badly in the final lap of the race and eventually finished in 14th before immediately collapsing.

Worried rivals and officials rushed to her aid to provide assistance before she was eventually carried away.

In a statement reported by Norwegian media, her manager said: “I don’t know anything more than that she is awake and being taken care of by the doctor inside the heating booth. That’s all I know.

“It puts a damper on a gold and a bronze that we can’t celebrate much yet until we know what it’s like with Ingrid.”

Tandrevold only recently discovered she suffers from atrial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat – having collapsed during an event in Oberhof earlier this year.

The Norwegian star, who also required assistance after the 7.5 km sprint on Friday and later admitted to ‘not remembering much’ of the end of the race, said at the time of finding out about her medical condition: “I have a few extra beats on my heart sometimes. I knew that, especially in the context of shooting, when the heart rate goes down and up quickly.

“It’s not dangerous, so it shouldn’t concern me so much.”

Team doctor Lars Kolsrud however confirmed that her heart condition was not a factor in her collapse on Sunday, telling Norwegian media outlet NRK: “She tried everything she did to catch up with [silver medalist Elvira Oeberg] and simply ran out.

“We measured it a little bit and we were able to measure heart rate. She was conscious all the way.”

Sunday’s biathlon final, which combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting, was won by Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, though any celebrations were put on hold with concerns immediately turning to Tandrevold.

After winning her third gold medal, Roeiseland provided a positive update on her compatriot.

Speaking to NRK, she said: “It’s not fun. She got good help, I talked to her afterwards, she is on her feet again and I hope she recovers quickly.

“It looks like everything is going well, and that is after all the most important thing.”