Commonwealth Games organisers were heavily criticised for not providing sufficient medical assistance to a Scottish marathon runner who collapsed but was not attended to by paramedics for several minutes.
Callum Hawkins was leading the marathon by almost two minutes and was less than two miles from the finish when he collapsed from heat exhaustion in 30 degree heat. The 25-year-old, who finished fourth at the World Championships marathon in London last summer, had looked set for gold but he began to sway in distress and fell over on the curb.
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He managed to rouse himself and briefly continued but supported himself several times using the metal barriers lining the course. But he collapsed again shortly afterwards, hitting his head on one of the roadside barriers. Hawkins was taken to hospital and is sat up and talking with no obvious long term damage done but fellow athletes and former athletes were damning of how long it took for professional assistance to arrive.
Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe tweeted that there were “big questions” for the local organising committee and medical staff. “That should never happen,” she said.
Some spectators even took pictures of a stricken Hawkins with nobody seeming to offer any help. Commentating on the BBC, former middle distance runner Steve Cram said it was “a disgrace” that it took so long for any paramedics to attend to Hawkins.
“I’m just concerned for his welfare,” Cram said, “He hit his head on the barrier. I’m sorry if you’re watching this at home, it’s really distressing. He’s going to hurt himself and there’s nobody anywhere near. We should have some more medical attention.”
“This is a guy in real distress and someone needs to recognise it for his health at this point. Where on earth is the help? You cannot just wait at the finish line. They’ve got radios. And finally somebody arrives. I think it’s disgraceful.”
Mark Peters, Gold Coast 2018 chief executive, said: “I like many others was distressed to see a wonderful athlete like Callum collapse during the closing stages of today’s marathon. We are offering every assistance possible to Callum and Team Scotland.”
“Gold Coast 2018 has put in place a wide range of measures to ensure athlete welfare and the response of medical staff this morning was within agreed response guidelines and timeframes. I was also concerned about the behaviour of a small number of bystanders who chose to take images. This is not in keeping with the spirit of Gold Coast 2018.”
Commonwealth Games organisers were heavily criticised for the lack of medical attention given to Scotland’s Callum Hawkins after he collapsed when in the lead of the men’s marathon on Sunday.
Hawkins had built up a lead of more than two minutes with just a mile and a half remaining when he wobbled alarmingly and collapsed onto the road in brutally hot conditions.
He struggled back to his feet and managed to continue for another 100m, but then fell again. Despite several attempts to regain his footing for a second time, he was unable to stand and hit his head on a roadside barrier in the process.
As spectators took photos of him lying distressed on the road, it took several minutes for medical attention to arrive. When it finally did, the paramedic waited some time before helping him.
Story highlights Hawkins was closing in on gold in men's marathon
Scottish runner collapsed near the finishing line
Gold Coast, Australia (CNN) With just two kilometers to go to the finish line, Scotland's Callum Hawkins was set for a remarkable Commonwealth Games gold. But in a harrowing conclusion to the men's marathon, the athlete collapsed towards the end of the race on a scorching day in the east coast of Australia.
The 25-year-old had a two minute lead when he started to weave on the road before falling over a curb. The Scotsman got back on his feet and continued racing before collapsing again, this time hitting his head on a roadside barrier.
Temperatures were said to be around 28 degrees Celsius during the race, held in the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane.
Hawkins regained conscious and was able to sit up while still at the scene of his collapse. He was later taken to hospital in an ambulance.
In a statement, Team Scotland said: "Callum has been taken to hospital for medical review following his collapse as is standard procedure. We are pleased to report he is sitting up and speaking with his dad and Team Scotland medical staff. He is undergoing further tests as a precaution and we all wish him a speedy recovery."
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Marathon leader Callum Hawkins collapses in Gold Coast heat
TVNZ Scottish runner Callum Hawkins collapses while leading the marathon in Gold Coast heat.
A heroic quest for gold has ended with Scottish runner Callum Hawkins being loaded into an ambulance, after heat exhaustion left him writhing on the road with 2.195km to run in the men's marathon at the Commonwealth Games.
* Images in this story may upset some readers.
British Athletics tweeted that Hawkins was "conscious following his fall".
Hawkins was clear of the field, when he started to run erratically around the 39km mark of the 42.195km race on Australia's Gold Coast.
CAMERON SPENCER/ GETTY IMAGES Callum Hawkins is cooled by a race marshall after collapsing about 2km from the race finish.
READ MORE:
* Live: Comm Games medal table
* Comm Games: Complete NZ schedule
* Comm Games: Complete NZ results
At one point he veered off the road and a spectator pushed him back on course. He appear to recover but by the 40km mark it all ended in the 28 degrees Celsius heat.
CAMERON SPENCER/ GETTY IMAGES Marathon course marshalls were reluctant to help Callum Hawkins as treating him would disqualify him from the race.
His legs folded, he buckled to the ground, and his attempts to get up using railings failed, as spectators on the path were powerless to help him, lest he be disqualified.
With still no rival in sight, Hawkins crumbled to the road, writhing. He pushed away initial attempts by medics to help him.
Australian Michael Shelley overtook Hawkins while he was receiving attention on the side of the road.
PHIL WALTER/ GETTY IMAGES Earlier in the race Callum Hawkins was in fine form.
Callum Hawkins is conscious following his fall and has been taken away in an ambulance. We all wish Callum a speedy recovery #GC2018 — British Athletics (@BritAthletics) April 15, 2018
Hawkins, who was fourth in the 2017 world championship marathon, held 2 minute 3 second lead over Shelley at the 40km checkpoint.
Shelley overtook him to claim Australia's third marathon gold medal of the day, crossing the line in 2hr 16min 46sec.
MATT ROBERTS/ GETTY IMAGES Women's marathon bronze medallist Jessica Trengove required assistance at the finish line after completing the 42km race.
Hawkins, who ran 2hr 10min 17sec at the world champions and was 9th at the 2016 Rio Olympics, had looked set for gold, until he began weaving across the road.
CALLUM HAWKINS UPDATE:Callum has been taken to hospital for medical review following his collapse in the Marathon as is standard procedure. He is being supported by Team Scotland medical staff & there are no major concerns at this stage.More information to be issued in due course — Team Scotland (@Team_Scotland) April 15, 2018
After going down once, he continued for another couple of hundred metres before another fall, this time seeming to hit his head on a railing.
It took several minutes for medical staff to attend to Hawkins, even though it was clear he could not continue.
BBC Sport commentator middle-distance running great Steve Cram said it was "a disgrace" that it took so long.
Watching on in horror Cram told BBC viewers there were real fears for the runner's safety.
"I'm sorry if you're watching this at home, it's really distressing. He's going to hurt himself and there's nobody anywhere near," he said.
"Where on earth is the help? You cannot just wait at the finish line. They've got radios. And finally somebody arrives. I think it's disgraceful."
After placing fourth at world championships, Hawkins, 25, was aiming for a medal at Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, his biography said.
"I would rather win a medal at a championship race than run a quick time. My dad has always instilled that medals mean more than times."
His father (and coach) Robert Hawkins was a top distance runner.
Race winner Shelley said afterwards he didn't really know what was going on with Hawkins.
"I wasn't sure what was going on," Shelley said.
"I had a couple of mates around Main Beach who said Callum was in a bit of trouble. They told me to keep going and gave me encouragement.
"I saw him [Callum] on the Sundale Bridge and thought 'oh s...' and just tried to hang on. When I was coming down the home straight I tried to accelerate but I was just gone. I'm glad to be finished to be honest.
"I thought hopefully I can get to the finish line because I was starting to get cramps in my hands."
There were also heat problems at the women's marathon, with exhausted bronze medallist Jess Trengrove of Australia put in a wheelchair at the finish.
Gold went to Helalia Johannes from Namibia in two hours 32 minutes and 40 seconds.
Australian Lisa Weightman took silver, while Trengove claimed a second successive Commonwealth bronze medal.
MARATHON COLLAPSES
VANCOUVER EMPIRE GAMES 1954
In 1954, the Games marathon saw one of the most famous collapses in history, by Jim Peters of England.
Peters, at the time the fastest marathon runner in history, said he "wobbled a little", heading up the hill into the Vancouver Empire Games stadium with a 17-minute race lead. Then he hit a lamppost, before carrying on in a faltering run into the stadium.
And then he fell in 28 deg C. There was silence from the 35,000 onlookers, New Zealand running legend Sir Murray Halberg recalled.
"That deathly silence … it was unreal, something I'd like to forget — but I'll never forget it," Halberg said.
Peters fell in and out of consciousness around the track, falling about a dozen times - later he could recall only three.
In 10 minutes he crawled 200m. Some onlookers were ill, just watching his stumbling, crawling, weaving trauma.
Finally a local intervened, wrapping his arms around Peters to end the agony.
LONDON OLYMPICS 1908
Italian Dorando Pietri, a pastry chef, entered the stadium in the lead, and started to teeter around the track toward an Olympic gold.
"As I entered the stadium the pain in my legs and in my lungs became impossible to bear," he wrote years later in Italian magazine Sport Illustrato.
He fell. He got up. He took a few more paces. It was 35 deg C.
"I no longer knew if I was heading towards my goal or away from it. They tell me that I fell another five or six times and that I looked like a man suffering from paralysis, stumbling with tiny steps towards his wheelchair. I don't remember anything else. My memory stops at the final fall."
When the course clerk and chief medical officer helped him that was the end. He was disqualified.
ATHENS OLYMPICS 2004
Englishwoman Paula Radcliffe arrived in Greece as world record holder and hot favourite, only for the extreme heat and cramps to stop her in her tracks. She crumpled to the kerb and sat there as if in shock.
She was still in medal contention when her legs failed her 6km from the finish. She made the rest of the journey to the stadium in an ambulance.
"It got to the point where I couldn't put one foot in front of the other. And I stopped. Although I had done it, I couldn't believe I had. What have I done here?"
KUALA LUMPUR COMMONWEALTH GAMES 1998
Not a marathon, but Kiwi Craig Barrett heart-breakingly collapsed within 1km of the finish line whilst leading the 50km walk, reportedly as a result of dehydration.
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