Barrichello reveals he had stroke, tumor

Frustrated Larson settles for 2nd, Johnson 3rd

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 17, (AFP): Brazil’s ex-Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello has revealed that he recently had a mild stroke and underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his neck, beating the odds to recover.

“I was at home taking a shower when suddenly I felt pain in my head. On a scale of zero to 10 it reached eight or nine,” he told Globo Television in an interview on Monday. “I thought, oh no, my motor’s broken.”

The former Ferrari driver and teammate of Michael Schumacher said he went to hospital the same day.

He had suffered a mild cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, he said.

“When I got out of hospital, they told me that barely 14 percent manage to recover the way I did,” the 45-year-old Barrichello said.

Doctors afterwards discovered a benign tumor in his neck. The tumor was small but “they took it out quickly because although it was benign it had to be removed because it was growing.” The scare took place in late January. Barrichello, who retired in 2011 after 11 Grand Prix wins, called himself “the luckiest man in the world.”

Apparently not expecting his win, Kawauchi had planned to fly back to Japan the morning after the race and start working from Wednesday evening.

“He called to ask for an extra day off because he has to attend functions there,” school official Yasuhiro Mitsui told AFP.

“The principal told him ‘Congratulations, you have done very well’,” Mitsui said, adding that the holiday extension had been granted.

No celebrations were being planned at the school, Mitsui said, in keeping with Kawauchi’s low-key approach to his running.

His training is done outside working hours, and he competes in races on weekends or on

Evans Chebet, of Kenya, leads Yuki Kawauchi, of Japan, as the men’s elite field of runners compete in the 122nd Boston Marathon on April 16, in Ashland, Mass.

(AP)

holiday. “Generally he has kept his work and marathon separate. We support him, like we support others, by covering his work while he is gone,” Mitsui said.

Marathons are hugely popular in Japan, and Kawauchi is well known for juggling his day job with his running passion.

“I want to show that you can compete at the world level even if you have a job like I do,” he has said of maintaining the balance.

After his win Monday, a tearful Kawauchi declared: “This is the greatest day of my life.”

“There was no one who thought I would be the winner. I was able to prove that marathon is a sport in which you cannot tell what happens until the finish.”

But while the Boston victory might be the biggest of his career, but it is far from his only marathon win. In fact, the 31-year-old has racked up five consecutive marathon wins with his latest victory, including races in Japan, the US, and Taiwan.

Last month, he was recognised by the Guinness World Records for the highest number of marathons run in under two hours and 20 minutes — 78 in all.