Italian biathlete Giacomel has heart surgery after Olympic withdrawal

Italian biathlete Tommaso Giacomel has undergone heart surgery and must rest for two weeks after dropping out when leading the mass start race at the Winter Olympics, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) announced on Tuesday.

Mixed-relay silver medallist Giacomel completed a series of tests at a hospital in Milan the last of which found “an electrical conduction anomaly” in one of his heart atria and that minor ablation surgery “has already been performed and was completely successful.”

In a message posted on his Instagram account on Friday, the 25-year-old Giacomel recounted what happened to him during that day’s mass start race where he was leading after the second round of shooting.

“Right after the second prone shooting, my body somehow stopped functioning normally and I was really struggling to breathe and move, so I had to stop,” he wrote.

“It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. I tried to ski really slowly at the start of the third lap, but my body wouldn’t let me.”

FISI’s statement said Giacomel would be discharged on Thursday and would undergo further checks in two weeks.

If he passes those, he will be allowed to return to regular training.

The recovery schedule means Giacomel will not participate in the next stage of the World Cup, from March 5-8 in Kontiolahti, Finland.

He is unlikely to race the following weekend in Otepaa, Estonia, or in the season finale in Oslo on March 19-22.

Giacomel, winner of four individual World Cup races this season, is second in the overall standings, 37 points behind the leader, Frenchman Eric Perrot.