Two days after collapsing in cardiac arrest upon completing the Honolulu Marathon, Koji Takano returned to the finish line on Tuesday -- still wearing the patient wrist band from the hospital.
"You are the most amazing champion of this year's marathon," Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal said as he presented the experienced Japanese runner with his framed certificate and finisher's medal.
"I appreciate that I am alive," Takano said through an interpreter, thanking his doctors.
Takano, a 39-year-old dentist, went to the finish line shortly after being released from Straub Hospital. He had on not only his wrist ID but the T-shirt he wore when his wife brought him to the hospital.
Takano collapsed into the arms of a doctor Sunday after crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 56 minutes, 34 seconds. He was carried to the medical tent, where doctors detected no pulse or blood pressure, said Barahal, a medical doctor. Doctors used an automatic external defibrillator to restore heartbeat.
Takano did not respond to the first shock, but his heartbeat and blood pressure returned after the second, Barahal said. He was able to talk and was conscious when taken by ambulance to the hospital.
The marathon obtained nine portable machines only 12 days before the race, and had seven at various locations on the 42.2km course.
Barahal doesn't believe Takano had a heart attack and suspects there was no damage to the heart muscle. He said it appeared to be cardiac arrhythmia.
"When this happens during heavy exertion, there usually is an underlying cause, and Mr. Takano needs to have an extensive evaluation when he returns to Japan," Barahal said.
Takano has no history of heart problems and hopes to be cleared to return to running soon.
"In the ambulance, I thought that I didn't finish the race," he said. "I was thinking I wanted to go back and finish."
Takano's wife, Tokiko, also ran the marathon and finished about 40 minutes behind her husband. After a stop at the massage tent, she was informed about her husband.
Takano plans to run this marathon again. Asked if he hopes to improve his time, he smiled and said, "Yes."
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but