Rugby player died on pitch from heart disorder

A SUPERFIT young rugby star died on the pitch from a rare heart defect while playing in South Wales, an inquest heard today.

Rugby league forward Leon Walker, aged 20, collapsed after being tackled towards the end of a game for Warrington Wildcats reserves against Celtic Crusaders in Maesteg in March.

A pitchside doctor and other medics gave CPR and electric shock treatment, but Leon, of Leeds, died when his heart failed.

A post mortem examination showed the Wakefield Wildcats player had two abnormalities to his coronary arteries, but he had no idea of the problem.

Pitchside doctor, consultant surgeon Richard Johnson, told how he saw Leon suddenly collapse.

He said: "Two opposing players were involved in the tackle - one person goes in high, one goes in low.

"To start with his breathing was laboured and he had a pulse but then it dropped.

"We gave CPR, oxygen and used a defibrillator to try to shock his heart into beating. But it did not work."

Pathologist Dr Richard Jones said "fit and active" Leon could have died at any time.

Dr Jones told the inquest in Aberdare: "He had a flap of tissue which blocked the opening of his heart during rigorous exercise.

"The right coronary artery followed a strange and precarious course through big blood vessels.

"When it expanded and contracted during exercise the artery would become squashed reducing the amount of oxygenated blood to the heart.

"In Leon's case this would have caused an abnormal rhythm and this led to his heart attack."

Dr Jones said the abnormality was "very rare and would have been present from birth".

But he said Leon would have had no symptoms and the abnormalities would not have been picked up in routine medicals.

He added: "Death could have occurred at any time but the risk was increased during exertion or exercise."

Police investigated his death and studied a DVD of the match which showed the tackle in the 63rd minute, but foul play was ruled out.

Leave your Lasting Tribute to Leon Walker

Leon signed for Wakefield in November 2008 having spent three years at Salford City Reds where he earned representative honours with Yorkshire and England in 2007.

Bridgend coroner Peter Maddox said: "This is an absolute tragedy for Leon's family and friends in the sport that he left behind.

"But they may take comfort because he died playing the game he loved - rugby league.

"He was a fit and active young man and that makes it more difficult to come to terms with.

"There was no rhyme nor reason as to why it happened on that particular day."

He recorded a verdict of natural causes.