Cyclist Katie Archibald misses Olympics after bizarre accident

LONDON, UK – British two-time Olympic track cycling champion Katie Archibald will miss the Paris Games after breaking two leg bones in a bizarre accident.

Archibald, 30, suffered a broken tibia and fibula and a dislocated ankle when she tripped over a garden step.

She also suffered significant ligament injuries in the incident on Tuesday and has since had to undergo surgery.

“I tripped over a step in the garden and somehow managed to dislocate my ankle, break my tibia and fibula and tear two ligaments from my bone,” Archibald posted on Instagram on Thursday alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

“I had surgery yesterday to put the bones back together and reattach the ligaments. Then hopefully I can go home this afternoon.”

Archibald won gold with Great Britain in the team pursuit in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and five years later won another gold medal in her Olympic debut in the women’s madison alongside Laura Kenny in Tokyo.

“100% apology for what this means for the Olympic team, which I’ve been told I will not be a part of,” she wrote. “I’m still processing this news, but I thought I should confirm it publicly rather than leave it to the rumor mill (trip hazard and all).”

This is the latest setback for them in the last two years.

She missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after colliding with a car. Her partner, mountain biker Rab Wardell, died suddenly the same year at the age of 37.

Archibald has also won five gold medals at World Championships and 20 at European Championships.