Alistair Brownlee has revealed he underwent successful ankle surgery recently, and hopes to return to competitive action before the end of 2023.
The two-time Olympic Games triathlon champion, now 35, has been out of action since finishing sixth in a stellar field at the PTO European Open in Ibiza in May.
After that the Leeds-based star was unable to make the start line for a number of races he was entered for, and he has now revealed he had been struggling with ankle pain for several months. As a result he underwent surgery, and says the procedure was a success.
Alistair Brownlee on ankle injury
Writing in an Instagram post, he said: “I’ve been struggling with ankle pain for the last few months.
“A few weeks ago I had surgery on my ankle to remove a bone spur (picture #2!) which had been causing lots of issues for the surrounding joints and muscles and keeping me from running properly.
“It’s a big shame to miss out on upcoming races but it’s also a big relief that we’ve successfully removed something that has caused me so many issues.
“Time to rest up and recover. I’m optimistically hoping the recovery will be quick and I’ll be able to compete before the end of the year.”
The ankle injury robbed Brownlee of the chance to qualify for the race that had been his big goal for 2023 – the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice in September.
The British superstar had also undergone ankle surgery in the summer of 2021 after enduring what he described as “three months of hell” going through the pain barrier in a bid to make the Great Britain team for a ‘threepeat’ bid in Tokyo.
