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9 October 2000 - For Suzy Favor-Hamilton, the last lap of the Olympic 1500m proved an experience of a lifetime - for all the wrong reasons. Leading with a lap to go, the 2000 list leader was still out in front with 200 to go and looked like becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal at 1500m.
But then everything went badly wrong … as Favor-Hamilton herself recalls: "I was getting very light headed and began to see only white. Then with about 80 metres to go, I blacked out and fell. I had to get up and finish. That’s all I could think of. I remember crossing the line, then looking at Szabo, then nothing at all. The next hour and a half I don’t remember, so I rely on my husband to tell me what happened.
"I was taken to the medical area under the stadium, going in and out of consciousness. Dr. Rich was quite worried. He concluded that I was just exhausted and very badly dehydrated, so they gave my 2 packs of IV fluid."
At first Favor-Hamilton thought her dramatic exit was the result of over training, or a long season, but after meeting with her doctor, Dr. Aurelia Nattiv in Los Angeles, she found a surprising culprit: anti-inflammatory tablets: "I had been taking these for my hamstring," recalls Favor-Hamilton. "I started taking 6 of these pills per day when I was in Sydney because the hamstring had been acting up again. By the time of the races, it was feeling pretty good, so I kept them up. Big mistake. I know now that anti-inflammatories dehydrate you and by the time of the final I was gone.
But Favor-Hamilton remains philosophical about her Sydney experience:
"I had the fastest time in the world this year and was leading an Olympic final with 80 metres to go. That’s much more than I could have ever asked for at the beginning of the year, so I’ll take it, and come back wiser, better and more confident for Edmonton next year."
This article is extracted from the web site diary of Suzy Favor Hamilton - www.suzyfavorhamilton.com