Ben Youngs Reveals Heart Surgery After Training Scare

 

Ben Youngs Reveals Heart Surgery After Training Scare

Leicester — Former England scrum-half Ben Youngs has disclosed that he underwent heart surgery earlier this year following a collapse during an open training session with the Leicester Tigers. The 34-year-old, England's most-capped men's player, revealed he has been diagnosed with an irregular, abnormally fast heartbeat.

Youngs, who retired from international rugby after the 2023 World Cup with 127 caps, shared his experience on the "For The Love Of Rugby" podcast, which he co-hosts with Tigers teammate Dan Cole. He recounted the unsettling incident that occurred at Welford Road.

"You know when we joked around on the pod quite a while back, and we had this open training session at Leicester, and I said I was doing fitness, and basically I collapsed," Youngs explained. "Well, not collapsed, but I had to stop and lay down as my heart was pounding away, and the rain was hitting me in the face, and I sort of rolled my head to the side and looked at all these admiring fans—30 of them—that were all packed out in the main stand at Leicester. And I thought: 'This is it, this is how I'm gonna go.'"

Youngs revealed that he has experienced several such episodes throughout his life, though he was unaware of the underlying condition until recently. "I've basically had a few of these episodes and I've had it my whole life. It can just kind of spontaneously happen at any stage of your life or career. And so I have had it my whole life, unknown to me," he said.

Despite the scare, Youngs is optimistic about his recovery and future in the sport. "The club have been amazing, as they so often are with anything like this. I got checked the first time it happened, [then] a second time it happened again. I am on the mend, I am recovering. I'll be fine for the start of the season."

Youngs is confident that the surgery will prevent future episodes, citing a high success rate. "There is a 90% success rate, so I should not suffer now. My ticker should be all good and it won't suddenly kick in and go mental," he assured.

As Youngs looks forward to the new Premiership season in September, his resilience and positive outlook serve as an inspiration to fans and fellow players alike. The rugby community will undoubtedly be relieved and supportive as he returns to the field with a renewed sense of health and vitality.

Rugby Top News