Olympian Is Denied Her Shot in 'Cruel Manner'

It's a fate most "cruel" for cyclist Katie Archibald, as British Cycling puts it. The 30-year-old won't be headed to the Paris Olympics as planned due to a freak accident she suffered Tuesday. Archibald wrote on Instagram Thursday that a trip over a garden step ended disastrously: "I ... managed to, somehow, dislocate my ankle; break my tibia and fibula; and rip two ligaments off the bone. What the heck." More:

• Her decorated past: The Guardian describes the cyclist as "a strong contender for gold in three disciplines: omnium, madison, and team pursuit." She won gold in the team pursuit in 2016 and silver in the same discipline at the Tokyo Games, where she also took gold in the madison, reports CNN. She also holds the record for the most gold medals in European elite track championships, at 20.
• The state of her leg: Archibald wrote she's been "in full princess mode (assuming it took a full team of A&E doctors and nurses to get Cinderella's foot back in line with the slipper") and underwent surgery Wednesday "to pin the bones back together and reattach the ligaments."

• A dash of humor in the heartbreak: "A hundred apologies for what this means for the Olympic team, which I've been told won't involve me," she continued. "I'm still processing that bit of news, but thought I better confirm it publicly instead of leaving it to the grapevine (trip hazard and all that)."
• From British Cycling: "We share in Katie's heartbreak over her injury, and the cruel manner in which she has been denied the chance to ride for the medals she so coveted in Paris."
• Not the first blow: The AP calls this "the latest setback" for Archibald, who missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games after being hit by a car and injuring her ankles. Her partner, 37-year-old mountain biker Rab Wardell, died that same year after suffering a "cardiac arrest."

(More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)