US Speedskating coach Ryan Shimabukuro has heart attack
Sep 4, 2019, 4:06 PM
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 15: US Speed skating coach Ryan Shimabukuro points to the ice surface after technical problems with the ice resurfacing machine during the men's speed skating 500 m final on day 4 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Richmond Olympic Oval on February 15, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. The coach confirmed he is recovering from a heart attack. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ryan Shimabukuro, co-head coach of the U.S. national long track speedskating team, is recovering after having a heart attack.
The 46-year-old coach posted on his Facebook page Tuesday that he had an angioplasty after a blockage was found in an artery.
He’s under observation at University of Utah Hospital.
Shimabukuro wrote that he also has a hematoma in his right wrist, where doctors entered through an artery.
He thanked supporters for “the overwhelming amount of love & support” that he has received.
Shimabukuro returned to coaching with U.S. Speedskating last year. He left the national governing body in 2014 after 15 years in various roles there. He was part of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.
