Top German triathlete to make comeback one year after heart attack

German triathlete Lasse Nygaard Priester celebrates after crossing the finish line of the men's Triathlon Sprint (0.75 km swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run) of the German Championship. David Inderlied/dpaGerman triathlete Lasse Nygaard Priester will race in the Venice-Jesolo Ironman on Sunday, just a year after suffering a heart attack during an event in China.

"There’s definitely a bit of excitement," he told dpa. "From time to time, I do think about how, after everything that happened last year, this is a great thing and a bit of a reward. I can just enjoy it.



"Priester did not not even realize he had suffered a minor heart attack until several weeks after the race in Chengdu on April 29 last year.He was aiming to collect points for Paris Olympic qualification, but dropped out in the second transition zone after the swimming and cycling."I felt so bad that I had to quit.

Even several hours later, I still didn’t feel well," he recalled of his decision not to run.The symptoms subsided, and Priester, then 28 years old and seemingly in peak physical condition, continued to Japan.However, he only managed 29th place in the World Triathlon Championship Series race.

From there, he travelled to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he finished 35th, and then to Italy, where he placed 21st.All these results were far below his expectations.Martin Engelhardt, president of the German Triathlon Union (DTU) and a doctor, explained that cardiac problems can sometimes go undetected initially and are not always life-threatening.

"Lasse Priester experienced a drop in performance, which led to more detailed medical examinations. This revealed the heart attack – in layman’s terms, a circulatory disorder of the heart," he said.Priester, whose Germany team mates took gold in the mixed relay in Paris in August, has undergone rehabilitation on the long road back to full health.

He said: "Despite all the bad luck, I was also very, very lucky.".