Car crash Olympian to be flown home
Badly injured Irish Olympic hopeful Jamie Costin will return to Ireland tomorrow by air ambulance for treatment after his horrific car crash in Greece.
The 27-year-old’s coach, Pierce O’Callaghan, said they were feeling much more positive after early medical opinion on the walker’s injuries sustained yesterday in the accident in Porto Helis.
Quashing speculation that the athlete was set to return to Dublin today, Mr O’Callaghan told PA News: “It is better than yesterday.
“It’s looking more positive as it is a lower back injury and the indications from medical people, from Dr Sean Gaine, the Olympic doctor, are better.”
Mr Costin’s hopes of Olympic glory were dashed yesterday after he suffered a compressed fracture of his lower back when the car he was driving careered head-on into a lorry.
He is believed to be concentrating on walking normally again.
The Waterford athlete was training in Porto Helis, around 300 miles from Athens, and was due to compete in the 50km walk competition on August 27.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “He is being looked after by a local surgeon and Dr Sean Gaine, who has been in contact with one of the top orthopaedic surgeons in Ireland, who said fly him home for treatment if he was stable enough to travel.”
The coach thanked the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, for organising a slot for the air ambulance to fly the athlete home tomorrow from Athens KAT hospital to the Mater Hospital in Dublin.
The official time Mr Costin will arrive back in Ireland was not known as it will depend on the take-off time permitted in Athens.
Mr Costin’s sister, Nicola, has flown to the Greek capital to be at his bedside.
His parents have cancelled their flights and are waiting for the athlete to return home.
Mr O’Callaghan insisted all of them were not giving up hope that the athlete could return one day to competition.
“We have not ruled out competition but it is still early days yet. It depends on the doctors in the Mater and the diagnosis they give,” he said.
Mr O’Callaghan, who has been coaching the 50km walker since 1996, said the Olympics had become irrelevant now for Mr Costin.
The most important thing was ensuring his recovery.
“It is not definite he will need an operation. The Mater surgeons will decide the best course of action and the likelihood is he will be put in a back brace.
“He will probably be bedridden for six weeks,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
They have already been in contact with team physiotherapist Jonathan McEvoy to work out a rehabilitation programme for Mr Costin and to look at the options for the future, he added.
