- Katie Archibald has confirmed she suffered a double leg fracture in the garden.
- The 30-year-old says she has been in “princess mode” since she suffered the injury.
- He gave ‘a hundred thanks’ to the medical team after undergoing surgery
Double Olympic champion Katie Archibald is out of the Paris Games after breaking her leg after tripping on a step in her garden.
The British cyclist, 30, was aiming to compete in the team pursuit, madison and omnium at next month’s Olympic Games.
However, Team GB will now be without their star endurance rider following her freak accident in what is a major blow to their medal hopes in Paris.
Archibald won gold in the team pursuit at Rio 2016 and Madison at Tokyo 2020, both alongside Laura Kenny, who announced her retirement earlier this year.
The Scot underwent surgery on Wednesday, but will not have recovered sufficiently in time to participate in her third Olympic Games.
Katie Archibald, 30, is ruled out of the Paris Olympics after a freak gardening accident
She revealed the news on Instagram on Thursday and shared that she underwent surgery.
“I tripped on a step in the garden and somehow managed to dislocate my ankle, break my tibia and fibula, and tear two ligaments from the bone,” Archibald wrote on Instagram. ‘What the hell.’
She added: “That was Tuesday and I’ve been in princess mode ever since.” Yesterday I had surgery to reattach the bones and reattach the ligaments. So hopefully this afternoon I’ll be back home.
‘A huge thank you to the fabulous doctors, nurses, radiologists, porters, physiotherapists, surgeons and more at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
“I apologize for what this means for the Olympic team, who have told me they will not involve me.”
Great Britain is expected to announce its women’s endurance team for Paris on July 4.
British Cycling said: “We share Katie’s anguish over her injury and the cruel way in which she has been denied the opportunity to compete for the medals she so coveted in Paris.
“We are now focused on providing Katie with the best possible support as she begins her recovery and we know the entire cycling community will support her every step of the way.”
Archibald, who suffered a double leg fracture, won a gold medal at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Celebrate with Laura Kenny, right, after winning gold at the Tokyo 2020 Madison
In addition to his two Olympic gold medals, Archibald captured a silver in the team pursuit in Tokyo three years ago.
He has also won five world titles, including an emotional victory in the team pursuit in Glasgow last August. This latest victory came just a year after his teammate and fellow cyclist, Rob Wardell, died after suffering cardiac arrest in bed.