ATHLETES AROUND THE world have been paying their respects following the sudden death of 31-year-old French Olympian Laurent Vidal this morning.
Vidal, who finished fifth in the men’s triathlon at the London Olympics in 2012, is believed to have suffered a heart attack while in his sleep.
Hugely popular in France and also in his second home of New Zealand, Vidal was forced to retire from the sport last year after going into cardiac arrest while swimming in his hometown of Sete, near Montpellier.
Following that health scare he went into full-time coaching, which included the tutelage of his fiancé, Kiwi triathlete Andrea Hewitt, and a number of top French athletes.
Hewitt was with Vidal at the time and is now with his family in France.
Leading Irish triathlete Aileen Reid offered her condolences on Twitter this morning.
