Last update - 00:00 18/07/2007
IDF soldier suffers cardiac arrest after long training run
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
An Israel Defense Forces combat soldier was in critical condition Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest some 200 meters from the finish line of a long run at his military
training base in the Jordan Valley.
He began the run after doing push ups and other exercises as part of an earlier training session.
An IDF source said the soldier, who serves in the Kfir Brigade and had passed the squad commanders course, had no known medical conditions and did regular exercise to maintain his physical fitness.
The IDF is investigating the incident.
Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer is keeping down the soldier's body temperature in an effort to minimize damage likely to have been caused by his collapse.
A hospital official said doctors will be able to tell only today if he sustained serious damage.
Medics at the scene of the soldier's collapse administered CPR, before a military helicopter took him to Sheba where he arrived unconscious, and not breathing on his own.
The soldier's parents were abroad when their son collapsed, and returned to Israel when the IDF informed them of the incident.