BRATISLAVA (AFP) – Slovakian cycling superstar Peter Sagan will skip the Tokyo Olympic Games because of an injury he picked up during the Tour de France, the Slovak Olympic Committee said on Tuesday (July 13).
The 31-year-old three-time world champion from 2015-2017 and seven-time winner of the Tour de France green sprint points jersey hurt his knee in a bunch sprint fall on stage three.
The injury became infected, forcing the Bora Hansgrohe rider to withdraw ahead of stage 12 last Thursday.
“After pulling out of the Tour de France, Peter Sagan underwent a knee surgery in Monaco,” the Committee said in a statement.
“The infection did not affect the knee joint, but the surgery and subsequent health problems have prevented ( Sagan) from travelling to Tokyo,” it added.
In his previous Olympic appearances, Sagan finished 34th in the road race at London in 2012 and 35th in the mountain bike cross-country race at Rio in 2016.
