Sudden death of top athlete
A former Black Country rugby player and father-of-two has collapsed and died during training.A former Black Country rugby player has collapsed and died during training. Super-fit father-of-two Gavin Tipper, aged 45, collapsed after a run with team mates from the Black Country Triathletes. He was taken to Sandwell General Hospital where he later died. His funeral will be on September 4 at Holy Trinity Church, Wordsley. Mr Tipper, who is from Kingswinford, was a member of the Dudley Kingswinford rugby club first team for 13 years. Standing 6ft 4in tall, Mr Tipper, who worked as an air conditioning engineer, took up triathlon after leaving DK's first team squad in 2002. He later became chairman of the Black Country Triathletes. His devastated wife Mandy said: "He was a best friend, father and husband and he will leave an enormous hole in our lives." Read the full story in the Express & Star
A former Black Country rugby player has collapsed and died during training.
Super-fit father-of-two Gavin Tipper, aged 45, collapsed after a run with team mates from the Black Country Triathletes.
He was taken to Sandwell General Hospital where he later died. His funeral will be on September 4 at Holy Trinity Church, Wordsley.
Mr Tipper, who is from Kingswinford, was a member of the Dudley Kingswinford rugby club first team for 13 years.
Standing 6ft 4in tall, Mr Tipper, who worked as an air conditioning engineer, took up triathlon after leaving DK's first team squad in 2002. He later became chairman of the Black Country Triathletes.
His devastated wife Mandy said: "He was a best friend, father and husband and he will leave an enormous hole in our lives."The tragedy happened on August 21 days before Mr Tipper's children, Lara aged 13 and Jacob, 15, were due to travel to Glasgow to represent the West Midlands in a national triathlon contest. Lara said they had decided to take part in the event this weekend, as a tribute to their father. "I love my dad very much," she said.
Spokesman for DK rugby club, Peter Stinton, said: "Gavin was always a very popular player, a great guy."
By Richard Williams
