Ben Pattison reveals life-saving heart surgery after winning stunning 800m bronze

Nice Britain’s Ben Pattison grabbed a superb bronze on the World Championships – and revealed he had life-saving heart surgery simply three years in the past.

The 21-year-old grew to become the primary British male athlete to win an 800m medal on the World Championships since Peter Elliott’s silver in 1987.

It got here after an operation throughout the Covid pandemic to repair a heart challenge which had seen his heart charge skyrocket to 250 beats per minute.

Pattison grabbed third behind champion Marco Aprop and Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi in Budapest.

He mentioned: “I had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It was a bit scary on the time. It was Covid years so I didn’t miss out on racing however I used to be awake for the entire thing. It was a bit surreal. I used to be watching.

“They needed to burn off a little bit of my heart. On the time it was very scary however I had the appropriate individuals round me.

“Once they rang me they had been fairly fearful and as quickly as they advised me I wasn’t allowed to train in any respect.

“All I used to be allowed to do was go for walks, so I mentioned to myself I’m going to go for walks on daily basis. I had quite a lot of my buddies on PS4 as a result of it was the Covid occasions. So we’d get up, get on Name of Responsibility.

“I bear in mind once I obtained advised I used to be like: ‘Is that this my working profession performed?’ I nearly had at the back of my head: ‘Is that this the explanation I’m good at working, as a result of I’ve obtained this freaky heart?’

“I used to be nearly fearful once I obtained again I wouldn’t be the identical.”

Pattison gained bronze eventually 12 months’s Commonwealth Video games however was not anticipated to problem for the rostrum on the Nationwide Athletics Centre.

“I’ve by no means been the stand-out man,” mentioned the Loughborough Enterprise Analytics graduate, who ran one minute 44.83 seconds.

“I’ve at all times been the man on the staff that’s been within the second or third place. I don’t win quite a lot of the home races however when it issues, I’m there.

“I’ve by no means not made a ultimate in my life. I’ve obtained a Commonwealth medal and a world medal. In case you’d advised 10-year-old Ben he retired with a 1.44 private greatest, a Commonwealth and world medal he’d have gone: ‘Who’s this looney?’”

Dina Asher-Smith was lacking from the ladies’s 4x100m relay as Asha Philip, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Daryll Neita claimed bronze.

Asher-Smith, who got here seventh within the 200m ultimate on Friday, revealed she had been coping with a neural downside following the 100m semi final week.

The 27-year-old was unable to really feel her legs within the closing stage of her race and can now go away the Championships and not using a medal.

The quartet nonetheless produced a season’s better of 41.97s to complete third because the USA and Jamaica claimed gold and silver.

Williams mentioned: “We discovered this morning (about Asher-Smith’s absence) however we’ve all performed adjustments collectively. All of us work effectively collectively. If Dina was right here, nice. She’s not right here and we nonetheless obtained a medal.”

Neita added: “I’m actually feeling this as a significant stepping stone in direction of Paris and the Olympics. However by way of the relay, it’s simply one other wonderful medal so as to add to my assortment.”

Jeremiah Azu, Zharnel Hughes, Adam Gemili and Eugene Amo-Dadzie completed fourth within the males’s 4x100m relay behind the USA, Italy and Jamaica.

The boys of Lewis Davey, Charlie Dobson, Rio Mitcham and Alex Haydock-Wilson reached their 4x400m relay ultimate.

Laviai Nielsen, Amber Anning, Nicole Yeargin and Yemi Mary John additionally reached their 4x400m relay ultimate in three minutes 23.33s.