Former Geelong Cats captain Mark Bairstow has been revived twice after suffering a serious heart attack at the Bunbury races on Sunday afternoon. The 62-year-old football legend is now reported to be in a stable condition following the medical emergency.
Medical Emergency at the Races
The incident occurred around 4pm at the Bunbury Turf Club as a heatwave swept across Western Australia, with temperatures soaring to 35 degrees. Bairstow had been celebrating the victory of Apparatus, a horse trained by his son Dylan, which stormed home from midfield to win the fourth race at odds of $13.
First responders quickly administered treatment using a defibrillator near the mounting yard, successfully reviving the former AFL star. St John WA confirmed they transported a man in his 60s to Bunbury Regional Hospital in a critical condition. However, the 146-game veteran has since been stabilised and is undergoing comprehensive medical tests to determine the exact cause of the heart attack.
Ongoing Health Challenges
This is not the first serious health scare for Mark Bairstow. The former footballer has been battling ongoing heart issues for several years. In 2023, he spent nearly two weeks in intensive care on life support due to a significant heart condition combined with a major lung infection.
Despite these health challenges, Bairstow has remained active in the racing community, supporting his son's training career and maintaining connections with the sporting world that defined much of his professional life.
A Distinguished Football Career
Mark Bairstow enjoyed a remarkable Australian Football League career after being drafted from South Fremantle at age 24. Across seven seasons with the Geelong Cats, he kicked an impressive 204 goals and earned All-Australian honours in his debut season.
His leadership qualities were recognised when he captained the club from 1992 to 1994, cementing his legacy as one of Geelong's respected figures. In 2010, his contributions to football were formally acknowledged with induction into the WA Football Hall of Fame.
The sporting community across Australia is now closely monitoring Bairstow's recovery, with many expressing relief that prompt medical intervention prevented a tragic outcome at the Bunbury races.
