Shanne Braspennincx Wins Keirin Gold Six Years After Suffering a Heart Attack in Tokyo 2020
Shanne Braspennincx, a Dutch keirin rider, earned Olympic gold six years after suffering a heart attack and not knowing if she would ever participate again. Braspennincx, 30, finished ahead of Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand and Lauriane Genest of Canada.
After watching teammate Laurine van Riessen taken to the hospital after colliding with Team GB hopeful Katy Marchant, she regained her composure. Braspennincx’s career was in jeopardy five years ago when she missed the Rio Olympics.
She thought her career was ended when she became unwell in Colorado in 2015, requiring surgery to widen a blocked artery and the placement of a stent. “I assumed I’d have to retire,” Braspennincx said. “A heart attack isn’t something you experience when you’re an athlete.”
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