Point Lookout Triathlon participant in critical condition after medical emergency in water, police say

A woman is in critical condition after having a medical emergency during the Point Lookout Triathlon in Hempstead on Saturday, according to Nassau County police.

The 66-year-old woman was in the water around 8:20 a.m. when the emergency occurred, which was roughly 20 minutes after the triathlon began.

Neither Nassau police nor Hempstead spokesman Brian Devine could provide further details about the nature of the medical emergency. Town lifeguards performed CPR on the woman and she was transported to a hospital by Point Lookout Fire Department Ambulance.

The woman has not yet been identified publicly.

"I want to commend our incredible ... lifeguards for their swift and decisive actions during a medical incident at today’s triathlon. Their training, dedication, and quick action no doubt helped save a life today," Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti told Newsday in a text.

This year’s Point Lookout Triathlon, also called Town of Hempstead Triathlon, was the 40th anniversary of the town-hosted event.

Devine told Newsday "hundreds" of people typically participate, but could not say exactly how many attended this year’s event.

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.