An Olympian has undergone heart surgery just days after dropping out of the Winter Games. He was forced to pull out of the competition for his health.
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Olympian Tommaso Giacomel, who represented Italy, ended up at the Galeazzi Hospital in Milan. He needed an ablation procedure. Fortunately, the surgery was a "complete success," and the athlete will be okay. He will soon leave the hospital.
The surgery came after the 25-year-old withdrew from his final ??biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Olympian knew something was wrong.
"Right after the second prone my body somehow stopped working properly and I was really struggling to breath and to move, therefore I had to stop. Worst feeling I have ever experienced in my life so far," he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post.
Giacomel decided to listen to the warning signs from his body.
"I tried to ski really slow the first part of the third lap, but my body wasn't allowing me to ski anymore," he continued. He said he felt "frustration, anger, [and] disappointment."
Olympian Needs Heart Surgery
"It's devastating. It's devastating to stop, but there wasn't anything I could do against my own body today. Absolutely not the end of the games I was hoping for, but I will never give up. 4 years fly by fast, and I will try again in France," Giacomel said.
Following his hospital stay, several wished him well on his health.
"Get well soon, Tommy! You'll come back stronger," the official account for the International Biathlon Union commented.
The Olympian "underwent a CT scan, an MRI scan, and a maximal exercise test, all of which were normal."
"A subsequent electrophysiological study revealed an atrial conduction abnormality, which recommended a subsequent ablation, which has already been performed and was a complete success," the FISI said.
Ultimately, he needed minimally invasive heart surgery to correct the issue. Following the surgery, he will have to have routine check-ups over the next few weeks. However, the Olympian is expected to return to his normal training routine in the following weeks. We wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
