Alix Popham: 'I'm lucky to be alive after Ironman accident'

Ex-rugby subordinate Alix Popham feels "lucky to beryllium alive" aft being kicked successful the caput whilst swimming during yesterday's Ironman lawsuit successful Tenby.

The erstwhile Wales flanker and dementia sufferer was taking portion successful the gruelling lawsuit to rise wealth for a encephalon wounded charity.

He was rushed to infirmary aft feeling dazed and "constantly vomiting."

Citing two fatalities astatine a caller Ironman successful Ireland, Alix added helium was thankful not to person drowned.

"It was simply a freak mishap - a radical of elite athletes overtook maine astatine the 2nd buoy during my archetypal lap," said the dad-of three.

"I was plodding on astatine my ain speed, concentrating connected my stroke, erstwhile they conscionable went close implicit the apical of me.

"It was similar abruptly being wrong a washing machine, and the unit was specified that it adjacent ripped my ticker from my wrist."

Although sufficiently gathering himself successful bid to implicit the remaining 500 metres Alix was forced to wantonness the remainder of the 2.4 mile oversea swim.

The contention besides progressive a 112 mile motorcycle thrust and a 13.1 mile run.

"Coming retired of the h2o I truly felt the worse for deterioration and my woman Mel said my eyes looked wholly glazed over, arsenic though I didn't recognise her astatine all," helium added.

"I tried to spell backmost successful for the 2nd thigh but conscionable couldn't.

"I felt sick and astir apt vomited astir 10 times afterwards, which is erstwhile the ambulance was called."

Rushed to Withybush Hospital successful Haverfordwest with a suspected concussion, Alix was fixed an injection to halt him being sick earlier being examined by respective doctors.

"They gave maine the thumbs up and I was yet allowed to leave," helium said.

"I've inactive got a headache 24 hours later, but it's not arsenic severe."

He pointed retired the cruel irony of being hospitalised for a caput wounded whilst raising funds for Head for Change, a foundation which supports ex-players affected by encephalon conditions similar dementia.

It's thing with which Alix himself was diagnosed 3 years agone aft receiving an estimated 100,000 oregon much sub-concussions during his career.

One of 300 rugby players taking portion successful a suit against rugby governing bodies implicit caput injuries, helium said,"You couldn't marque it up, could you?

"I've truly gone done a afloat gamut of emotions astir this - disappointment, vexation - I've truly bushed myself up astir it.

"To person trained truthful agelong and hard lone to beryllium incapable to decorativeness was a bitter pill to take.

"But things could person been truthful overmuch worse.

"I could person been knocked retired acold whilst successful the oversea and not beryllium present astatine each close now, similar what happened to those guys implicit successful Ireland past month," added Alix, referring to the 2 fatalities which occurred astatine a akin triathlon successful Cork successful precocious August.

Ireland's Brendan Wall, 45, and Ivan Chittenden, a 64-year-old from Canada, died during the aquatics information of the lawsuit held successful Cork's Youghal Harbour, astir 270 kilometres southbound of Dublin

"So I've conscionable got to beryllium thankful that I'm good and accidental a large convey you to everyone who has messaged maine with their concerns and champion wishes," said Alix.

"I've conscionable got to enactment it each down maine and remainder up up of the adjacent large situation - cycling to Lyon with Gareth Thomas and a fewer others, and past swimming the Channel successful October.

"But for present though I'm going to ore connected the astir important things successful my life, my woman and my 3 girls."