Ben Higgins, who became British indoor 400m champion three years ago, has revealed that an inflamed heart forced him to retire from athletics at the age of 24.
Last month, the Brit announced on his Instagram that he was stepping away from the sport on medical advice from doctors.
Higgins now states that, off the back of multiple scares and subsequent tests, he was diagnosed with myocarditis – when the heart muscle becomes inflamed – six months ago.
“I was told that I would have a significantly increased risk of a cardiac episode during high intensity exercise,” the British 400m runner tells AW, who first learned of the heart issue after experiencing discomfort off the back a three-week training camp in Mallorca last April.
“We were training for the Paris Olympic trials and, at the end of that third week, I felt really fatigued but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Then, when I got home, I experienced some sudden left sided chest pain, which went all the way through my arm.
“I was in the car, driving by myself, when I just started to sweat heavily. My heart rate jumped to around 145 beats per minute. Then the pain started. It was like someone got a long spiky pin and they just jabbed it into me.”
Ben Higgins (Getty)
After visiting A&E, Higgins was told he almost certainly caught COVID-19 at the training camp. Due to the fact he was asymptomatic and Olympic ambitions were on the line, the Brit pushed his body to the limit and continued competing.
With the ultimate ambition of making the 4x400m relay pool for Paris 2024, Higgins raced six times last May – including over 200m at the Loughborough International – but something didn’t feel right.
“As I was asymptomatic, I kept pushing my heart through training but my body was suffering,” he says. “I was still competing but everything was wrong and I wasn’t in a good place. For that month, I sat upright in bed and couldn’t lay flat because of the pain in my chest.
“Things were so hard as I couldn’t figure out what was more important – trying to get to the Olympics or getting the health issue sorted.”
At the start of last June, Higgins took matters into his own hands and, after another episode of sudden intense pains, admitted himself for scans.
Ben Higgins (Getty)
The result was an inflamed heart and scar tissue. Higgins was told by a doctor to stop running immediately.
“The doctor stated that he couldn’t believe I hadn’t been told to stop training already,” the 24-year-old reveals. “It was actually nice to hear that. You’d think it would be the moment that hurt the most as he basically ended my Olympic dream there and then. That clarification of being told to stop running was a moment of relief.
“Before being told by a doctor, everyone was telling me to stop and that it was silly to carry on. Athletes will know though, once you get your head on a goal, it’s difficult to shy away from it. I’m glad I never made myself worse in the end.”
Even though Higgins never got to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, he still donned the national colours at other major international championships.
His fondest memory on the track is the 2022 World Indoor Championships, where Higgins – alongside Alex Haydock-Wilson, Sam Reardon and Guy Learmonth – competed in the men’s 4x400m final.
The Brit also combined with Reardon, Joe Brier and Lewis Davey in the men’s 4x400m at the 2023 European Indoor Championships.
GB men’s 4x400m team in Belgrade (Getty)
Higgins, who has a personal best of 46.15 over 400m, excelled at a domestic level, with the pinnacle being his dramatic victory at the 2022 UK Athletics Indoor Championships.
“I still don’t think I’ve fully reflected on my career as a whole yet,” he says, adding that he has “no negative emotions” on being forced to retire at a young age.
“The national indoor title was my big breakthrough but I’m also proud of those occasions when I ran a personal best in the pouring rain at a lower level meet. They’re the kind of feelings I’ll miss the most.”
Higgins first found his love for running at primary school and, after beating kids in older age groups, his mum took him to an athletics club in Corby.
Inspired by watching the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he then started taking the sport more seriously but suffered a bi lateral stress fracture in his spine at the age of 10.
Wheelchair bound for nine months, Higgins was told he wouldn’t run again. However, after a period of strenuous rehabilitation, the young runner was back racing for Corby.
Ben Higgins (Mark Shearman)
Higgins progressed well in his teenage years and soon discovered an affinity with the 400m, placing second over the hurdles at the 2016 English Schools Athletics Championships.
It wasn’t until 2022 that Higgins dropped the hurdles to race exclusively in the flat 400m, helping him win a national indoor title over one lap that season.
Given Higgins’ resilience in life and pedigree in athletics, it’s no surprise that he received a myriad of supportive messages after announcing his retirement.
“I was so shocked by the number of people that cared,” he says modestly. “I know that sounds crazy but I had so many people get in touch, including Darren Campbell.
“He was my relay manager when I was in Belgrade and he gave me such a good experience. That meant a lot. He just congratulated me and stated that what I’ve learnt in track and field will help me in life and make me successful in whatever I do. He wanted to make sure that I was positive and aware of the career that I’ve had.”
Higgins will now focus his energy on Solution Therapy – a Loughborough-based company he founded four years ago – and jokes that he still might make the Olympics one day, but as one of the staff members.
That dream could potentially come true, given Higgins treats triple Olympic and eight-time world swimming champion Adam Peaty.
“I’m already working with footballers and swimmers [in therapy] but I want to stay in athletics,” Higgins adds. “I’m still trying to get down to the track when I can now again and I don’t want to leave the sport.”
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
