Welsh triathlete suffers 'life-threatening' injuries at event

As well as a competitor, Nathan Ford also runs a triathlon coaching business

A Welsh triathlete has suffered "life-threatening" injuries while competing at an event in Scotland.

Nathan Ford, 37, suffered serious spinal and brain injuries taking part in the British Championship Triathlon in Aberfeldy, near Perth, on Sunday.

The athlete from Swansea is in intensive care and "unable to breathe or move independently", his wife Catrin Ford said on a fundraising page.

British Triathlon is working with event organisers to investigate the incident.

Although Mr Ford's brain injury "isn't as severe as initially thought", his spinal injury "is worse than we could have every imagined", Mrs Ford wrote.

She also added on the fundraising page that the family was "heartbroken" and that her husband "has a long road ahead of him."

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Mr Ford, from the Dunvant area of Swansea, is one of the top amateur triathletes in the UK and he was the first placed amateur at the 2019 Wales Ironman - and eighth overall.

In the same year he came first in his age group at the Cozumel Ironman in Mexico.

Sunday's incident happened at the Aberfeldy Multi Sport Festival and Triathlon Scotland and British Triathlon said it was working with event organisers to understand the "exact details" and would publish information when the incident report was completed.

Welsh Triathlon chief executive Beverly Lewis said incidents in triathlons were rare and their thoughts were with his family.

Nathan Ford finished eighth at the 2019 Ironman Wales in Tenby

Mr Ford's wife is at his bedside in hospital in Scotland and a fundraising page has raised more than £40,000 to help with his care.

"We are 500 miles from home and hope to stay here until Nathan can be transferred closer to home," Mrs Ford wrote.

"We are searching for any extra tools, support and services that can help us to help Nathan."

Mr Ford was competing in a middle-distance triathlon which consists of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run when the incident happened.

Alongside competing Mr Ford also runs a coaching business and has a team of athletes and fellow competitors have wished him well in his recovery on social media.

Marc Davies, who has previously been coached by Mr Ford, said as an athlete he was "immense".

"He is one of the strongest people I know mentally and physically, I think everybody knows if he's in a race you're fighting for second place."

"He finished in the top ten in Ironman Wales and all he wanted to do was get showered and get out and support his team.

"He probably felt absolutely awful, but he was straight out there supporting. He's always the person out there at the end of events supporting and clapping," Mr Davies said.