Olympic Cyclist to Miss Paris 2024 After Tripping on Backyard Step and Breaking Leg: ‘What the Heck’

British Olympian Katie Archibald dislocated her ankle, broke her lower leg and 'ripped' two ligaments off the bone during the accident

Olympic cyclist Katie Archibald has had to pull out of this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympics following an accident in her backyard.

On Thursday, June 20, the two-time British Olympic champion, 30, revealed a trip in her backyard led to her not only dislocating her ankle, but also breaking her leg and damaging her ligaments.

“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. What the heck,” her Instagram caption read as she shared two photos of herself from the hospital.

In the first snap, Archibald smiled slightly as she looked at the camera while sitting in bed.

She then shared a photo of her left leg in a cast with an arrow drawn at the bottom of her thigh and over her knee.

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“That was on Tuesday, and since then I've been in full princess mode (assuming it took a full team of A&E doctors and nurses to get Cinderella's foot back in line with the slipper 👍),” she added before stating that her surgery “to pin the bones back together and reattach the ligaments” took place on Wednesday.

Archibald added that she hopes to head home “this afternoon,” as well as sharing her thanks with the hospital staff at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

“A hundred apologies for what this means for the Olympic team, which I've been told won't involve me,” she continued. “I'm still processing that bit of news, but thought I better confirm it publicly instead of leaving it to the grapevine (trip hazard and all that).”

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She then signed the post off with, “Might be back with more updates, might be gone from the socials for a bit - TBC. Ciao for now. Katie x.”

"Wishing you a speedy recovery, Katie ❤️," wrote Team GB in the comment section, while six-time Olympic gold medalist Chris Hoy added, "Oh Katie… I’m so sorry. What an absolute kick in the teeth. Get well soon and rest up. ❤️."

British Cycling also shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) amid the athlete’s injury news.

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“Earlier this week, Katie Archibald had an accident at home which has resulted in a broken ankle which she has since had surgery on,” the organisation wrote. “Following medical advice, this unfortunately means that Katie will be unable to compete at the upcoming Olympic Games.”

"We share in Katie’s heartbreak over her injury, and the cruel manner in which she has been denied the chance to ride for the medals she so coveted in Paris," the post continued. "Our focus is now on providing Katie with the best possible support as she begins her recovery, and we know that the whole cycling community will be right behind her for every step."

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Archibald first won gold at the Olympics at Rio 2016 in the team pursuit competition. Four years later at Tokyo 2020, Archibald scored gold again in the women's madison, followed by silver in the women's team pursuit.

However, in 2022, Archibald missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after colliding with a vehicle, according to The Guardian, She also broke her collarbone and fractured her spine in a crash at the UCI Track Nations Cup the same year.

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