World in Sport

Andy Irons was held in high esteem.  Considered by many in the surfing community to be the best in the world he has been discovered dead in a hotel room in mysterious circumstances.  He had been in Puerto Rico to take part in a surfing competition when he fell ill and withdrew himself from the event.

He stopped off in Dallas on his way back home to Hawaii and it was here that he was discovered yesterday.   This has plunged the surfing world in to mourning as not only was he a popular figure on the competition circuit he had been incredibly successful.  Over the course of two years between 2002 and 2004 he had won three world titles consecutively.

Irons learned to surf on the dangerous and shallow reefs of the North Shore in Kauai in his home state of Hawaii.  As well as the three world titles he won three Quicksilver Pro France titles (03-05) and twi Rip Curl Pro titles (in 06 and 07).  On top of this were the 19 elite tour victories and, most recentky in September, he won the Billabong Pro in Tahiti.

The events leading to his death are a little cloudy but it has been reported that he was suffering from Dengue fever.  This is an acute febrile disease which is transmitted by mosquitoes and occurs in the tropics.  Since its discovery in the eighteenth century it has been looked upon as a very serious and life-threatening condition.

Irons spent a few days in Miami after returning to the US from Puerto Rico and he was on an intravenous drip to combat the fever.  However, he had wanted his own Doctor to treat him and so had signed himself out of the hospital in which he was staying.

He did not make a connecting flight from Dallas to Hawaii and so checked himself in to the hotel in which he was discovered death the next morning.

To add a further mystery, a Hawaiian newspaper has reported that methadone was found in the hotel room, hidden inside a container for a drug which can be obtained on prescription – Zolpid.

World in Sport would like to express its condolences to the friends and family of Andy Irons, certainly one of the contemporary greats of the surfing world.

This first clip was filmed just two weeks before Andy Irons’ death.

Outside all the victories Andy’s life started to take a turn and his fire was starting to go out. He left the sport in search of himself and took it all back to basics. “I surf because… it keeps my life at an even keel, without it I would tip into oblivion”-This is a truly revealing clip of one of surfings most colourful and dynamic characters.Finally, some footage of Andy in action.