Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar ruled out of Paris Olympics road race

PARIS – Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar has been ruled out of the Paris Olympics after an exhausting three-week stage race, the Slovenian Olympic Committee said on July 22.

The 25-year-old, who won his third Tour a day earlier,

was not selected because of fatigue, the committee said.

He was one of the favourites, alongside Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, for the Olympic road race on Aug 3.

“The coach of the men’s cycling team revealed the names of the riders who will compete in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Tadej Pogacar, being too tired, will not be among them,” a statement said.

“He will be replaced by his national team colleague Domen Novak. We hope that he will represent the colours of Slovenia at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.”

Pogacar was the first rider to achieve the Giro d’Italia/Tour de France double since 1998.

His ability to perform on one-day races with steep hills, however, also made him a top contender in the Paris road race, a gruelling 225km course in and around the French capital.

Defending champion Richard Carapaz, who won the mountains classification at the Tour, was not selected by Ecuador.

In tennis, Olympic silver medallist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic has also withdrawn from the Paris Games due to a hand injury, with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz pulling out as well.

Vondrousova reached the women’s final in Tokyo three years ago as an unseeded player, losing to Belinda Bencic.

Katerina Siniakova, who won gold at the last Olympics in doubles and is a nine-time Grand Slam champion in women’s doubles, will replace her in the singles and Linda Noskova will play doubles with Karolina Muchova.

“I hoped until the last moment that I could go at least in doubles, but problems with my hand won’t allow me on the court,” Vondrousova said.

Hurkacz was forced to retire from his Wimbledon second-round match earlier in July when he dived for a volley but landed badly and injured his knee, and has not recovered in time to compete in Paris.

“My rehabilitation is going very well, and I am making continuous progress. However, my team and I have decided that I am unable to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris,” the Pole said.

“I have always dreamt of representing Poland at the Olympics, but unfortunately, my health does not allow it this year.”

Other notable absences from the tennis at the Games include world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu, Ben Shelton and Tokyo men’s bronze-medal winner Pablo Carreno Busta. REUTERS