Jess Learmonth has been forced to withdraw from the T100 London next Saturday (27 July) due to a “hip issue”.
Learmonth, who was part of the Team GB quartet which won Mixed Team Relay gold at the last Olympics, has recently returned to the sport following the birth of her first child.
And she came back in style too, with second place at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau in Germany in late May behind German star and five-time winner Laura Philipp.
That was her first race in two years, with an injury keeping her on the sidelines since 2022’s Arena Games Triathlon Finals in Singapore.
Next race will have to wait
She celebrated the arrival of baby Freddie in September 2023 and has worked her way back to race fitness since then.
Following that hugely encouraging middle-distance return in Germany she had been looking forward to competing in front of home crowds in London alongside a host of other high-ranking British women after she was handed a wild card by race organisers the PTO.
They included IRONMAN World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay, world number five Kat Matthews and Sophie Coldwell, who just missed out on an Olympics place in Paris.
The races will act as a superb curtain-raiser to the Paris Olympics, with stunning fields for both the women’s and men’s events just days before triathlon takes centre stage in the French capital.
‘Triathlon is hard work at times’
But late on Friday, Learmonth revealed that she won’t now be lining up on the start line at the Royal Victoria Docks.
Writing on her Instagram page, she explained: “Gutted to announce that I’ll be pulling out of the London Tri 100 due to a hip issue that started on Friday.
“I am disappointed to let down the PTO, who have been hugely supportive of my return from injury and pregnancy to give me a wild card for this race. I can’t wait to toe the line on a PTO T100 race soon!
“Triathlon is hard work at times 🙄.
“Thank you to my team for always supporting me 🙏.”
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