Reigning Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha will be sidelined for up to 16 weeks after fracturing his left ankle in the grounds of his home in Kenya.
His agent Michel Boeting confirmed Rudisha, who also won gold over 800m at London 2012, underwent surgery on Thursday.
A statement read: "On Tuesday, May 19, Rudisha twisted his left ankle at his rural home in Kilgoris, Narok County, Kenya.
#OnThisDay David Rudisha broke the World record. #London2012 @rudishadavid @iaaforg pic.twitter.com/Wpv30qCN3K — Olympics (@Olympics) August 9, 2019
"During a walk on the compound the 31-year-old stepped on uneven ground, and initially believed it was not a serious injury.
"He continued with exercises that wouldn't cause further harm to his ankle but after a lack of improvement over the weekend, he underwent an examination and was diagnosed with an ankle fracture at St Luke's hospital in Eldoret.
"Rudisha, who is attempting to compete at his third Olympic Games next year, is expected to be out of training for 12 to 16 weeks and hopes to resume rehabilitation after that."
Rudisha's winning run at London 2012 came in a world-record time of one minute 40.91 seconds, a record which still stands.
