Plymouth's Jacob Dawson 'pinching himself' to be competing in Olympics after near fatal blood clot

A rower from Plymouth who nearly died after suffering a blood clot on his lung has said he is "pinching himself" that he's competing in this year's Paris Olympics.

Jacob Dawson suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in 2022, just one year after taking home a bronze medal in the men's eight at the Games in Tokyo.

The 30-year-old was forced to take some time away from the team to recover, but against all odds is now back in the boat and heading to his second Olympic games.

"I definitely find myself pinching myself being here now," Mr Dawson said.

"When that all happened, I didn't really know what was ahead of me and I just went into survival mode and auto-pilot thinking about how to get better."

Not knowing if he'd be able row again, Dawson qualified as a tree surgeon and said he's hoping to carve out a new career for himself when his rowing career comes to an end.

He said: "The question came up of, 'Well, if this is a career ending event, what am I gonna have to fall back on?'

"Heights and chainsaws don't really mix well with elite sport, so it gave me opportunity to step aside and express myself in various ways."

Dawson said he's returned to the sport with a fresh mentality and is going to the games with confidence.

He said: "If you don't back yourself, there's no point in going in the first place.

"We don't compete to not aim for the top spot. Anything can happen in sport, but the certainly the goal is to come home with a gold for the fans."

The Olympian added he hopes his journey back to rowing will inspire others to keep pushing in the face of adversity.

Dawson said: "Throughout my sporting career, there's definitely been people who I've drawn inspiration from in how to overcome challenges.

"So if what happened to me can help someone else achieve their dreams - I take a lot of pride in that."