Competitor had cardiac arrest while swimming

A FITNESS enthusiast who died after getting into difficulty during an Ironman competition suffered a cardiac arrest after overheating.

- ROD MINCHIN

An inquest in Swansea was told that Sam Buchan, 31, was about 0.6 miles (1km) into the swimming leg of the Ironman 70.3 race on July 13 last year in the city's Marina when he was rescued from the water.

The inquest in Swansea heard he was pulled on to a support boat and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Mr Buchan was transferred to Morriston Hospital in Swansea but died on July 16 after his life-support was switched off.

A postmortem examination found the father-of-one, from Aberdeen, had died from “anoxic ischemic encephalopathy, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and exertional heat stroke during a sporting event”.

Aled Gruffydd, the senior coroner for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, recorded a narrative conclusion.