JAMIE CRAMPHORN is recovering at home after collapsing during the awards ceremony at the world water ski championships at Hunstanton.

The 25-year-old from Whitstable was taken to hospital in Kings Lynn suffering from dehydration, high blood pressure and falling in and out of consciousness.

Four races in five days took their toll on Cramphorn, who finished a highly creditable sixth overall.

He said: "I was in a terrible state, and the medical people told me I was in the early stages of cardiac arrest, and had to put me on a ventilator to help my breathing."

He was released at 3am on Sunday morning, but admitted to feeling better after spending two days in bed at home.

Jamie added: "It was a great week but four races in five days wiped me out. I knew something wasn’t right in the final race on Saturday afternoon when temperatures were around 30 degrees.

"I was in a terrible state, and had to stop for a rest and a drink. I managed to finish the race, but perhaps I shouldn’t have done.

"I then decided to go to the presentation, but was only there half an hour before being taken ill, and they had to treat me while the ceremony was going on."

American Todd Haig won the gold medal, Karl Brooks from Essex finished with bronze and Italian Carlo Casso took silver.

Casso has an English crew and trained off Whitstable to prepare for the worlds, and Cramphorn admitted he was pleased to see him do well.

It all started so well for Jamie after the whole event had been thrown into chaos, by poor weather which caused the first two races to be postponed.

He began with two thirds, and followed that with a seven, but the final race disappointment ended his chances of being amongst the medals.

Haig only just managed to make it over the line in his final race, as his boat spluttered to a halt, but maintained his 100 per cent record, and prove the Americans million dollar investment in the event was money well spent.

Cramphorn still has to decide whether to compete in the 2007 world championships in New Zealand, but plans "to live it up, enjoy life and not worry what I eat" in the next few weeks.

Local rival Darren Kirkland finished 11th overall, after failing to finish in two of his races. He was ninth first time out and finished fifth in in last race.

Britain took the team bronze behind USA and Australia.