Double Olympic medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown has suffered a calf muscle tear, throwing the rest of her season into doubt.
Revealing the news in a post on her Instagram, the British pro said: "This job of mine [broken heart emoji]... Sport fills me with so much joy but it can also be so cruel.
"After having some calf tightness over the past two weeks, a scan revealed I have a fairly nasty tear! I am gutted. I am completely lost and feel very broken right now."
A spanner in the works
Taylor-Brown had already planned to skip the World Series event in Sunderland this weekend, instead choosing to focus on the Paris Olympic Games Test Event due to take place on 17-20 August.
However, participation at that event looks very unlikely now. Depending on the severity, calf muscles can take up to 12 weeks to recover from.
Based on that timeline, Taylor-Brown may also miss much of the Super League Triathlon Championship Series, though it is possible that she could recover in time to make the latter stages of that competition, considering it runs into October.
The WTCS Finals are also taking place in Pontevedra, Spain, on 23-24 September. Could she make it back in time for that? Time will tell, with the severity of her calf tear and the progress of her recovery to determine any timeline.
A tough year
After an extended break over winter, Taylor-Brown got her season underway at the WTCS sprint race in Abu Dhabi at the start of March.
The race represented a much earlier season start than athletes were used to, as Taylor-Brown crossed the line in 15th. Up ahead, Beth Potter was taking her first-ever WTCS win.
A 7th-place finish followed over the Olympic distance at Yokohama in May (where Sophie Coldwell took her first-ever WTCS win), before a return to form in Cagliari with a expertly-executed win.
That was followed by a 7th-place finish in Montreal at the end of June.
In her Instagram post, Taylor-Brown gave some insight into what's been going on behind the scenes: "I always knew it was going to be a hard year. I lost my love and fun for the sport and I just started to find it again, but the fight for Olympic selection will have to wait!
"But with all the negatives running through my mind, I am happy. I’m happier than I have been in a long time, I’m safe and I am excited for each new day and it feels good to say that!
"All that really matters to me in my life right now is happiness and safety. There is much more to life than sport."
Speaking about what's next, Taylor-Brown wrote: "I’ve just had some PRP treatment to help with the healing and I’ll be staying in Font with my lovely people and fluffy baby.
"I’ll spend some time away from sport while I let this calf do what it has to do but I will of course be back when my body is ready."
Top image credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images
