Olympic champion Katie Archibald has announced that she will be forced to miss the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to injury.
The 28-year-old - who won gold in the Madison at Tokyo 2020 - has struggled with numerous injuries since winning three European gold medals back in October.
Archibald went under the knife to treat a shoulder injury over the winter, but the two-time Olympic gold medallist has been hit by other fitness and illness woes in the past few months and will not compete at the Games for Scotland.
"With a very heavy heart I've decided to withdraw from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games," Archibald wrote on Instagram.
"I scheduled time off in January this year to recover from shoulder surgery, but since then I've managed to fit in, unscheduled: a back fracture; covid; a concussion; a broken collarbone; another surgery; and (the final cherry on top) two sprained ankles and a big ballooned leg.
"I've tried my hardest to keep my head up, and I've certainly had enough support from @britishcycling, @scottishcycling, and @ceratizit_wnt to do so, but I'm not coping. Representing Scotland means so much to me, but right now I'm simply not fit for the task.
"My best to all my teammates (big brother included!) who I know will do us proud. And my thanks again to Scottish Cycling for their support. They put a lot behind me to try and achieve something special this year and, even though I'm not going to manage that, I'm so grateful for their backing."
Archibald has won three medals for Scotland in cycling at the Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in the 2014 points race before winning silver in the same event in 2018 alongside individual pursuit gold.
Ben Knapton
