Italian biathlete Tommaso Giacomel, who dramatically withdrew from an Olympic race last week due to severe breathing difficulties, has successfully undergone a minor heart operation.
The 25-year-old, a silver medallist at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on 8 February, had been leading the 15km mass start event on Friday when he was forced to pull out.
Giacomel described the alarming incident on Instagram, stating: “Right after the second prone my body somehow stopped working properly and I was really struggling to breathe and to move, therefore I had to stop.”
Medical examinations following the event “revealed an atrial conduction abnormality, which recommended a subsequent ablation, which has already been performed and was a complete success,” the Italian Winter Sports Federation confirmed in a statement.
Giacomel is expected to be discharged from hospital on Thursday and will undergo further medical checks in two weeks.
Following these, he should be cleared to return to regular training. The International Biathlon Union reposted a message on Giacomel’s Instagram, wishing him a “smooth recovery” with the words “Forza, Tommy”.
Giacomel was competing in his second Olympics after also making the Olympic team in 2022 for the Beijing Games.
However, he failed to get on the podium four years ago as he finished seventh in the men’s relay and 61st in the sprint competition.
He fared much better in the mixed relay this time around as he finished second, but his own biathlon race was brought to a premature end.
Giacomel now faces a recovery period following his surgery before he can consider returning to elite-level competition.
