Olympic Champion Track Cyclist Katie Archibald to Miss Paris Games after Freak Accident

 Katie Archibald of Great Britain reacts after winning the women’s omnium points race at the UEC track cycling elite European championships, at the Velodrome Suisse, in Grenchen, Switzerland, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
Katie Archibald of Great Britain reacts after winning the women’s omnium points race at the UEC track cycling elite European championships, at the Velodrome Suisse, in Grenchen, Switzerland, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
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Olympic Champion Track Cyclist Katie Archibald to Miss Paris Games after Freak Accident

 Katie Archibald of Great Britain reacts after winning the women’s omnium points race at the UEC track cycling elite European championships, at the Velodrome Suisse, in Grenchen, Switzerland, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
Katie Archibald of Great Britain reacts after winning the women’s omnium points race at the UEC track cycling elite European championships, at the Velodrome Suisse, in Grenchen, Switzerland, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

British two-time Olympic champion track cyclist Katie Archibald will miss the Paris Games after breaking two leg bones in a freak accident.

The 30-year-old Archibald fractured her tibia and fibula and dislocated an ankle when she tripped over a garden step.

She also sustained substantial ligament damage during the incident on Tuesday and has since undergone surgery.

“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,” Archibald posted on Instagram on Thursday alongside a photo of her in a hospital bed, The Associated Press reported.

“Had surgery yesterday to pin the bones back together and reattach the ligaments. Then hopefully this afternoon I’ll be going home.”

Archibald won gold with Britain in team pursuit in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and won another gold five years later in the Olympic debut of the women's Madison alongside Laura Kenny in Tokyo.

This is the latest setback for her over the past two years.

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

Archibald has also won five golds at world championships and 20 at European championships.



Jeddah to Host World Pool Championship, Snooker Masters in July, August 

The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport. (SPA)
The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport. (SPA)
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Jeddah to Host World Pool Championship, Snooker Masters in July, August 

The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport. (SPA)
The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport. (SPA)

Jeddah is scheduled to host two rounds of the World Pool Championship and the Snooker Masters Championship in July and August.

The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport.

The World Pool Championship, returning for the second consecutive year, will be held from July 21 to 26 at the Green Sports Hall in Jeddah. It will feature the world’s top 100 players competing for a total prize pool of $1 million.

The Snooker Masters Championship, ranked as the fourth most prestigious tournament on the professional snooker calendar, will be held from August 8 to 16. It will bring together 128 professional players from around the world, along with 16 Saudi players.

The total prize pool for the event will be two million British pounds, making it the second most valuable event in terms of prize money on the 2025 World Snooker Tour.

The tournaments are part of the Ministry of Sport’s ongoing efforts to boost the Kingdom’s global presence in specialized sports, in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 to empower the sport sector and expand its economic and social impact.