Polish pro triathlete Robert Wilkowiecki has opened up on a “heartbreaking and enlightening” 12 months which ended with him undergoing major surgery.
The 30-year-old, who was forced to pull out of last year’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kona due to heart trouble, is now on the way back and has already pinpointed his comeback date.
Wilkowiecki is targeting the IRONMAN Texas North American Championship on April 26 as his big date with destiny, saying: “The first race of the year will be in Texas, so it is a classic start of the year.”
“It was literally heartbreaking for me”
Reflecting on a rollercoaster year when he was diagnosed with paroxysmal arrhythmia, Wilkowiecki admitted he feared he might drown during a dizzy spell at IRONMAN Frankfurt, and was later forced to withdraw from the World Championship in Kona.
In a new YouTube video, he said: “It was literally heartbreaking for me. At the beginning of the year I noticed some abnormalities in my heart rate in training. Initially we thought it was caused by heartrate monitor failure. We swapped brands. I used a lot of them. But the issue was happening more and more often. I was feeling dizzy. Like I could faint.
“The real turning point was IRONMAN Frankfurt. Before that we were unsure what was going on. During the swim, about 3km into the race, I felt dizzy and almost fainted. I felt scared because it happened in the water and I had to stop.
“I went to the doctors and they told me it would require some surgery. It wasn’t life-threatening. I decided to give Kona a go. But I couldn’t handle it and the symptoms during the race were too much.”
A learning experience
Wilkowiecki is now back in training after his surgery and sent a heartfelt message of thanks to his fans as he targets Texas.
He said: “And at the end of the year, I underwent surgery which was successful. It was a little bit more complicated than anticipated, but it was all good. And so far I am recovering from it and I do not have any issues connected to it.
“Of course there’s always a risk. But thanks to the whole team in the hospital, thanks to the doctors, they handled my issue perfectly. Another learning experience in my life. I have never had any serious surgeries before so it was the first time.
“I would like to say thank you to everyone in my corner during the year. It was not easy, but I think it is even more meaningful for us and the support means a lot, especially in these tough moments. And I would like to thank all my fans that were with me. The amount of support during the tough moments and the amount of messages that you sent me are really encouraging and I cannot thank you enough.
“And I would like to really thank you with my further results.”
