Rugby star Hassane Kolingar reveals the seemingly innocent act that led to him going into cardiac arrest aged just 26
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French rugby international Hassane Kolingar has revealed the seemingly innocent act that he believes led to him suffering a heart attack aged just 26. Kolingar has recently returned to play for his club Racing 92, but just months ago the loose-head prop feared his career was finished when he went into cardiac arrest at a teammate's wedding.
![[The footy star (pictured wearing a heart monitor) said he 'felt like someone was sticking needles in my head' during the terrifying ordeal]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/05/23/93765359-14253011-The_footy_star_took_the_tobacco_product_while_at_a_teammate_s_we-a-21_1736120930087.jpg)
'When I got there [to the wedding], I stuck a snus against my gum and sat down while waiting for the bride and groom,' Kolingar told Midi Olympique. Snus, sometimes called 'dip' or smokeless tobacco, is a moist powdered tobacco pouch typically held in the mouth between the lip and gum, releasing nicotine into the bloodstream.
'It's not illegal – there's tobacco in it but it's real s**t, I think,' Kolingar said. 'At one point, I burst out laughing and immediately felt pressure in my chest. My heart was beating really hard and I was sweating a lot; seeing stars. French rugby international Hassane Kolingar suffered a heart attack after taking the tobacco product snus.
The footy star (pictured wearing a heart monitor) said he 'felt like someone was sticking needles in my head' during the terrifying ordeal. 'I thought I was just having a hypoglycaemic episode and, so I would not ruin the ceremony, I moved aside. My eardrums were banging, I felt like someone was sticking needles in my head.
