Heart condition fails to stop Aussie freestyler
SWIMMING: When sprint freestyler Jack Cartwright’s maximum heartrate soared over 200 beats per minute during a mid-race drama in a 200m freestyle heat at the selection trials, his Commonwealth Games selection hopes looked headed into an ambulance right along with him.
His impressive fighting qualities came to the fore 30 hours later when he rose from a hospital bed to qualify strongly for the Games in the 100m freestyle.
Swimming’s “Jack of Hearts” is part of a remodelled quartet that will be chasing gold in the pool today in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Beside him will be Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers, who has beaten the same heart condition with surgery.
Coach Dean Boxall said of Cartwright’s fightback from drama at the trials: “Unbelievable resilience. He should have been gone. He should have put his feet up on the couch and said, ‘I’m out’, but he wanted to fight.”
Cartwright’s heartrate spike in a 200m heat meant he failed to qualify for a final he could not possibly have swum anyway.
His full focus is now the relay and the 100m heats tomorrow morning before another visit to a specialist after the Games to discuss whether the Chalmers’ option of surgery to correct Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) will be replicated.
Head coach Jacco Verhaeren said a plan for Cartwright had been developed after consultations with specialists.
“Is it dangerous health-wise? That’s the number one (consideration) and the conclusion is it isn’t, so we’ll look at a plan after this competition,” Verhaeren said.