When the athletes from the UK returned home after the 2016 Olympics, there was rejoicing at their successes. Many of them have now been given awards in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in January 2017. But what about their future health? In particular, what will be the physical cost for the women athletes? The example of Beryl Burton, arguably the UK’s finest ever athlete, top of her sport of cycling for over 25 years, is a salutary one. Retiring at 57, she dropped dead at 59. Although she was known to have had a cardiac arrhythmia, her husband recalls that to the end she was always trying to thrash herself back into shape and trying to get back to her former glories. Inevitably, this all proved too much, and she collapsed and died on her bike delivering invitations to her birthday party.
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