Katie Archibald to Miss Paris Olympics Due to Garden Accident Injury
British cycling star Katie Archibald, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will miss the upcoming Games in Paris after suffering a serious leg injury in a freak accident at her home.
Archibald, 30, fractured two bones in her leg and tore ligaments off the bone when she tripped over a step in her garden. She underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair the fractures and ligament damage, as detailed in her Instagram post on Thursday.
“I tripped over a step in the garden and managed to, somehow, dislocate my ankle; break my tibia and fibula; and rip two ligaments off the bone. What the heck,” Archibald shared. “That was on Tuesday, and since then I’ve been in full princess mode. Had surgery yesterday to pin the bones back together and reattach the ligaments. Then hopefully this afternoon I’ll be going home.”
Archibald, known for her prowess in team pursuit, madison, and omnium events, had been aiming to compete in multiple disciplines at the Paris Games. She clinched Olympic gold in the women’s team pursuit at Rio 2016, followed by a silver in Tokyo 2020 and gold in the madison event.
Expressing gratitude, Archibald thanked the medical team at the Manchester Royal Infirmary for their exceptional care and support during her treatment and recovery process.
The setback comes as a blow to Great Britain’s cycling squad, set to announce their team roster on Monday, with hopes pinned on Archibald’s formidable skills and experience on the track.
