Triathlon world champion Javier Gomez Noya to miss Olympics ... but not because of Zika
A broken arm suffered during a training fall leaves London Games silver medallist with no time to recover for Rio
Five-time triathlon world champion Javier Gomez Noya will miss the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after breaking his arm during training.
The Spanish triathlon federation says Gomez Noya fell while riding his bicycle on Wednesday.
Federation general secretary Alicia Garcia says that “it is impossible for him to recover in time” after he undergoes an operation on Thursday.
A photo Gomez Noya has posted on social media shows his left arm in a sling.
“Unfortunately this has forced me to pull out of competing in Rio. I need to be realistic, there is no time to prepare and to be fit on the start line of the games,” Gomez Noya said on his Twitter account.
The 33-year-old Gomez Noya won the ITU world championship in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. He was the Olympic silver medallist in London in 2012 and placed fourth at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The men’s triathlon event will be held on August 18.
Additional reporting by Reuters
