Young high school runner dies after finish line collapse
Joseph Balko, a 15-year-old freshman runner at a Fairbanks, Alaska high school, died a day after collapsing at the finish line of a regional track meet.
A freshman runner at Monroe Catholic High School passed away at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska on May 21, a day after he collapsed at a track and field competition in Fairbanks. Joseph Balko collapsed after finishing ninth at the region’s high school track and field championships and was brought to a local hospital where he was stabilized and then airlifted to Anchorage, according to News-Miner.
Paramedics arrived shortly after Balko, 15, finished the eight-lap, 3200m race on Friday, May 20. Race officials and volunteers performed CPR before an ambulance could arrive, according to the report. The meet was suspended until the following morning.
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“Really gives the perspective of how insignificant sports can be in terms of other greater things in life,” Ti Donaldson, a participant at the high school meet, said.
The 15-year-old was a member of the boy scouts, one of the largest youth groups in the United States, which aims at providing a youth program that “builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.” The local chapter posted about the news via Facebook, which can be found at the top of this page.
According to MileSplit’s database, Balko also participated in other events in high school including the 800m and the 1,600m in addition to the shot put and discus.
The cause of Balko’s death is not yet known.
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