Duncan Armstrong OAM made history when he won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, inspiring the entire nation with his record-breaking swim. Four years ago, the legendary swimmer survived a serious heart attack. This is his story.
The year was 1988. A young man from regional Queensland, ranked 46th in the world, stunned the world by clinching Olympic gold in the 200-metre freestyle. Duncan Armstrong's victory was a testament to the underdog spirit, a story that resonated with Australians everywhere.
The boy from the outback had become an overnight sensation.
But life after the Olympic high had its challenges. Duncan struggled with the classic burnout that many elite athletes face, the sudden void after years of intense training.
"I got out of the water and got into every bad habit I possibly could,” he tells HRI. “I had a problem with alcohol and drugs, and I quickly put on weight. I went from about 88kgs race weight to 135kgs in the space of about eight months. Fortunately, I woke up to myself and started rebuilding my life.”
Duncan became a father to five beautiful children and carved out a successful career as a media commentator, coach, and motivational speaker. He remained incredibly fit and active, never suspecting the silent threat lurking within.
Then, at 52, his world came crashing down.
“About four years ago, I had a heart attack and needed a triple bypass the next day. It was incredibly scary. Because of my early success as an elite athlete, I thought I was invincible.”
The mighty athlete, the Olympic champion, was suddenly facing his mortality.
It began as a regular day in November 2020. Duncan had just finished a lunchtime workout, feeling on top of the world.
“I had just got back from the gym, and when I went back to the locker room at the Telstra building in the Brisbane CBD, had a shower, put on my favourite shirt, looked in the mirror and even said to myself, ‘I’m winning,” he laughs.
At that moment, Duncan was blissfully unaware that he was about to suffer a major heart attack that almost cost him his life. When he got back to his desk, Duncan felt a pain in his chest, which he initially put down to indigestion.
“I shook it off, but then the pain started growing and moved to my arm,” he says. “My left arm really started to hurt at this point, but I ignored it. I thought I must have strained it at the gym. Then I had to head off for school pick-up duty.”
“By the time I got to the pick-up line, the pain had started to become unbearable, and I actually got out of the car and started crying. As I stood up, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.”
It was then, finally, that the penny dropped. Duncan realised he was having a heart attack.
In a daze, Duncan drove to the nearest hospital. Confusion led him to the multi-level car park instead of the Emergency entrance. He ran down four flights of stairs, his breath ragged, leaving frantic voicemails for his wife.
Finally, he stumbled into the hospital, barely able to speak. "I'm in a bit of trouble," he gasped to the receptionist.
“As she pressed the emergency button, I collapsed into the arms of three burly orderlies.”
Duncan still shudders as he recalls the intensity of the pain.
“The pain was out of control and so were my stress levels because of it,” he explains. “I was manic. It’s the kind of pain you can’t negotiate with. I was sitting there out of my mind with stress and worry, but fortunately made it to the right place with specialists and doctors just in time.”
The next 24 hours were a blur of tests and agonizing pain. Three major blockages were discovered in Duncan’s heart – one was 98 per cent blocked, one 87 per cent and a third 81 per cent. Emergency triple bypass surgery was scheduled for the next morning.
“It was a complete shock. I couldn’t believe it.”
“Testing revealed a lot of inflamed calcium in my veins and arteries. It didn’t even occur to me to consider my family history because I am so much like my dad and he never had any issues with his heart,” he adds.
“My mother had a quadruple bypass. She's still alive now at 89, but I don't look like my mum. It just wasn’t even on my radar that this might happen. There were absolutely no warning signs.”
The news shook Duncan to his core. He had never felt frail before. Now, he faced the prospect of a lifelong illness. Doubt gnawed at him, a feeling he had never experienced in his athletic prime.
“It was devastating to wake up with a big ‘zipper’ down the middle of my chest,” he reveals. “It’s even hard now to explain how upsetting it was. And the pain was unbearable.”
The surgery was successful, but the recovery was gruelling. Confined to his hospital room, Duncan's spirits and confidence plummeted.
“I was in a deep depression,” he recalls. “My rock bottom. And it was very hard for my family. My beautiful kids came to see me and my youngest, who was only eight at the time, fainted.”
But a small window offered a glimmer of hope. Each morning, he watched the sunrise, a reminder of the world outside and the possibility of a new beginning.
A turning point came when Duncan found himself surrounded by elderly patients, all grappling with serious illnesses. "Is this my community now?" he wondered. A voice in his head answered, "But what's the alternative?"
That moment sparked a transformation. The victim mentality gave way to a renewed fighting spirit. The Olympic champion within him resurfaced.
"I went from being a victim of my situation to working out what I was going to do about it," Duncan explains.
He attacked his rehabilitation with the same determination that had propelled him to Olympic gold.
“I’ve had a lot of effective leaders, like swimming coach Laurie Lawrence, put hours and hours into me so of course, I dug deep and drew on that lived experience,” he says.
Duncan's heart attack was a wake-up call. Years of intense training and a diet that once included 15 Weet-Bix and a cheese cake each day, alongside his regular meals, had taken a toll. His family history of heart disease, once ignored, now loomed large.
The ordeal forced Duncan to re-evaluate his priorities. He took a year off to travel with his family, reconnect with nature, and rebuild his confidence. He moved to a quieter life on the Sunshine Coast, cherishing the time spent with loved ones.
"My heart attack has taught me how valuable my time is," Duncan reflects. “I want to spend my time doing things that are important and meaningful.”
Today, Duncan is a passionate advocate for heart health and a proud HRI Ambassador. He shares his story to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and inspire others facing health challenges.
“Heart disease does not discriminate,” he shares. “I encourage everyone to go and have a heart health check and focus on the four pillars of health: exercise, diet, sleep, stress. ”
In his role as Ambassador, he is helping to champion our mission to prevent, diagnose and find new treatment for CVD – allowing people to spend more time with their loved ones.
“Please, go and get your heart checked out, get your calcium score done and learn whether you’ve got family history. It could save your life.
“And please get behind the incredible HRI team. They're working tirelessly to develop new cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments for cardiovascular disease.”