Olympic biathlete undergoes heart surgery after withdrawing from race mid-competition

An Olympic jock was forced to acquisition bosom country aft withdrawing from a contention astatine Milan Cortina. 

Italian biathlete Tommaso Giacomel decided not to enactment successful the 15-kilometer wide commencement owed to breathing issues.

"A consequent electrophysiological survey revealed an atrial conduction abnormality, which recommended a consequent ablation, which has already been performed and was a implicit success," the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) announced Tuesday. 

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Tommaso Giacomel of Team Italy looks connected earlier the Men's 15km Mass Start connected time 14 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Livigno Snow Park connected Feb. 20, 2026 successful Antholz-Anterselva, Italy.  (Grega Valancic/VOIGT/GettyImages)

"Tommaso volition beryllium discharged connected Thursday greeting and volition acquisition further scheduled checks successful 2 weeks. Once completed, helium volition beryllium allowed to instrumentality to regular training."

Giacomel wrote connected his Instagram communicative that helium was "gutted" that his play was "over."

"I’m good - if I tin accidental I americium good erstwhile I had to DNF portion I was starring an Olympic race…" Giacomel wrote successful an Instagram station past week with a photograph of himself from a infirmary bed.

Tommasso Giacomel of Italy prepares to sprout astatine the Olympics. (Hendrik Schmidt/picture confederation via Getty Images)

"Right aft the 2nd prone my assemblage someway stopped moving decently and I was truly struggling to enactment and to move, truthful I had to stop. Worst feeling I person ever experienced successful my beingness truthful far. I tried to skis truly dilatory the archetypal portion of the 3rd thigh but my assemblage wasn’t allowing maine to skis anymore.

"A batch is going done my caput astatine the moment… frustration, anger, disappointment… It’s devastating. It’s devastating to halt but determination wasn’t thing I could bash against my ain assemblage today. Absolutely not the extremity of the games I was hoping for but I volition ne'er springiness up. 4 years alert by accelerated and I volition effort again successful France. I volition bash immoderate aesculapian checks the adjacent days to find retired what went incorrect today.. I’ll support you posted. Thank you for the tremendous support."

Tommaso Giacomel of Team Italy successful enactment during the Men's 12.5km Pursuit connected time 9 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Anterselva Biathlon Arena connected Feb. 15, 2026 successful Antholz-Anterselva, Italy.  (Kevin Voigt/Getty Images)

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Earlier successful the Games, Giacomel earned a metallic medal successful the mixed relay. He has 3 different metallic medals from satellite championships and 5 victories successful Biathalon World Cups.

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