Harkins reflects on the ‘horror’ of Hawkins collapse

TEAM Scotland athletics chief Rodger Harkins has described his shock and horror as he watched star marathon runner Callum Hawkins collapse with heat exhaustion on the Gold Coast. And he said it had been years since he had witnessed anything so brutal in the most demanding distance event of all. Hawkins (below) was discharged from hospital yesterday and will be resting up before travelling back to Scotland. The 25-year-old was on his way to Commonwealth Games gold when he crashed to the ground not once but twice in Sunday’s race, with the fact that he was allowed to continue after the first collapse — and the delays in treating him after he was left in a heap for a second and final time — causing widespread outrage in the athletics community. Harkins, a veteran coach performance director for Scottish Athletics, said: ‘I’ve not seen that for years — and it is hard to watch. We were all just hoping Callum was OK.’ Admitting he was surprised to see the Renfrewshire runner get up after his first fall, Harkins said: ‘It’s hard (to judge). So hard to watch. It must have been hard to do but it was so hard to watch. ‘He was only 200 metres away from a water station. But, when that happens to people, they used to call it hitting the wall. When that happens, it’s horrible. Horrible to watch. ‘Without a shadow of a doubt, he’ll be back. Callum is an absolutely awesome athlete. ‘He will be disappointed, on reflection. But he is an amazing athlete who will definitely bounce back. ‘There was meticulous preparation. They had drinks and a cold hat to put on at the drinks stations. It was about keeping your head cool. ‘The marathon starting a bit later than normal probably had some effect (because of the heat). But it had the same effect on everybody. ‘Lots of the front runners were falling back and Robbie Simpson was able to pick them off for a bronze medal. ‘It’s fantastic for Robbie. I spoke to him when we were travelling to the race on the bus. He said he was just going to feel his way into the race and see how things developed. For Robbie, that was crucial and beneficial. ‘Where other people were looking to push on and maybe make a difference, he just stayed and went Steady Eddie all the way through. ‘While we all hoped that Callum was OK, I don’t want to take the shine off what Robbie’s done.’ Team management released a statement yesterday saying: ‘Team Scotland is pleased to confirm Callum Hawkins has been discharged from Gold Coast University Hospital today. We would like to thank all the supporters and wellwishers for their kind messages of support. ‘Speaking upon his return to the Village, Callum said: “I’d like to say a huge thanks to all the medical staff at Gold Coast University Hospital for their care over the last 24 hours — and it’s great to now be back with my team-mates”.’