Olympian’s health crisis serves as a cautionary tale for us all

It was an ordinary Tuesday afternoon in November 2020, COVID restrictions notwithstanding, and Duncan Armstrong had just spent his lunch hour in the gym, as he usually did.

The then 52-year-old was working in an executive job he loved for Telstra in Brisbane’s CBD, while also doing motivational speaking gigs on the side. He had a beautiful wife and five children he adored. Life was golden.

After the gym session, Duncan ate a banana, showered and put on his  favourite shirt.

As he tucked it in, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and said to  himself, “Winning!”.

Certainly, the Aussie Olympian was used to winning – whether it was in the pool or any arena of life.

But little did he know that just 45 minutes later, he would be suffering a massive heart attack that almost lost him his life.

“I went back to the office after the workout and I felt like I had indigestion,” Duncan remembers.

“I just kept on working away, then packed up my gear to pick up my kids from school. When I got into the lift, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s bad indigestion’. I got down to the car and my arm really started to hurt.

“I thought I might’ve strained my arm at the gym.

“So, I was flicking it out as I was driving out of the car park and heading to school.

“But by the time I got to the pick-up point, I was crying.”

His arm was so uncomfortable  that Duncan hopped out of the car and began walking around, attempting to shake it off.

It was at this moment that the penny dropped: he was having a heart attack.

Jumping back into his car in a state of shock, he began driving to St Vincent’s Private Hospital, located on the same grounds as the Prince Charles Hospital  in Chermside.

He rang his wife at work and left messages for her, asking her to meet him at the hospital.

In his confusion, he missed the emergency entrance to St Vincent’s  and kept driving to the car park, where  he wound his way up the levels in what felt like slow motion, looking for an  empty space.

He made it from his car to the lift, but due to COVID restrictions, couldn’t enter it as there were already people inside.

Instead, he staggered down  through the car park and across to the hospital’s entrance.

“By this stage, I could barely speak,”  he says.

“I entered and said, ‘I’m in a little  bit of trouble’.

“Then I collapsed into the arms of three burly orderlies.”

Duncan says his heart attack hit in “classic Hollywood” style.

He describes the feeling as though someone was sitting on his chest, so that he couldn’t breathe.

Subsequent testing in hospital revealed one of his major vessels was 98 per cent blocked, another was 84 per cent blocked, and a third was 78 per cent blocked.

His emergency triple bypass  surgery followed.

“It almost got me. It almost sent me home to heaven,” Duncan acknowledges.

“I lost a lot of my confidence … I’m a control freak.

“You don’t become an Olympic champion unless you’re an absolute pedantic control freak of the greatest order, but this was out of my control.

“I didn’t even know I was crook or had a family history. So, when it landed on me, it was shocking.”

As Duncan sought ways to heal amid tightening COVID restrictions, he and his wife Rebecca bought a camper trailer, packed up their three children still living at home, and travelled around Queensland.

“It was a really magical part of my recovery because I stopped doing everything, stopped thinking so hard,” Duncan says.

“We had nothing on our minds except where we were going to be the next day.

“I really built my confidence back up when I was out there.”

The trip also gave Duncan time to ponder the future.

He and Rebecca had talked about relocating to the Sunshine Coast for their retirement, but both COVID and the health scare became catalysts for bringing this dream forward.

Today, the Armstrongs are thriving in their new home.

They’ve joined local sporting clubs and are embracing the slower pace of life. Their first grandchild was born in 2022.

And Duncan is regularly booked for speaking engagements, ambassadorship contracts and corporate leadership development sessions through his company Peak Impact.

Life is golden again.

But he’s careful of overworking.

“I can’t say that I’m sorry I’ve had a heart attack,” Duncan concludes.

“The journey it sent me on has been fulfilling in many ways.

“My life has got a lot more colour, it’s got more depth, it’s got more taste, it’s got more enjoyment.

“So, even during busy days, I have this sustainability in my spirit to enjoy the people that I see and talk to, especially my family and my loved ones.”

Duncan Armstrong’s winning streak

You may have seen him recently on Boiling Point – Swimming’s Greatest Rivalry or Do You Want To Live Forever? (Nine Network). Both shows touch on Duncan’s long list of achievements, including:

• Gold Medal and World Record, 200m Freestyle, 1988 Seoul Olympics
• Silver Medal, 400m Freestyle, 1988 Seoul Olympics
• Gold Medal, 400m Freestyle, 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games
• Gold Medal, 4 x 200m Relay, 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games
• Young Australian of the Year, 1988
• Medal of the Order of Australia, 1989
• Sports Australia Hall of Fame, 1993
• International Swimming Hall of Fame, 1996
• Queensland Sport Hall of Fame, 2009.

Building a healthy heart

As the stakeholder manager at Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), Duncan Armstrong offers these tips for ensuring a healthy heart.

1. Diet – reduce unhealthy fats and sugars.
2. Exercise – move your body for 30 minutes per day.
3. Quality sleep – aim for eight hours per night.
4. Reduce stress – make time for things you enjoy.
5. Regular testing – speak to your GP about a heart check-up.

Signs of an Imminent  heart attack

The Heart Foundation says  warning signs of a heart  attack can include:

• pain or pressure in the chest, arm, shoulder, back, neck or jaw
• dizziness or feeling faint
• nausea, indigestion or vomiting
• shortness of breath or tightening in the chest
• sweating or a sudden chill (cold sweat).

Source: heartfoundation.org.au