Olympics without a superstar

Big bang! Pogacar decides not to compete in Paris

Tadej Pogacar(Bild: AFP)

Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar has canceled his participation in the Olympic Games in Paris due to "extreme fatigue"! This was announced by the Slovenian Olympic Committee on Monday ...

The 25-year-old Slovenian, who recently won the Tour of France for the third time and previously dominated the Giro d'Italia, will be replaced by his compatriot Domen Novak. Pogacar won bronze in the road race at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo.

"Unfortunately, Tadej Pogacar has canceled his participation!"
"Unfortunately, Tadej Pogacar has canceled his participation due to extreme fatigue," Uros Murn, coach of the Slovenian Olympic team, was quoted as saying in a statement. The Slovenians will also have to do without Primoz Roglic, the 2023 Giro winner pulled out of the Tour de France injured after a crash. Danish Tour runner-up Jonas Vingegaard also canceled his participation in the Olympics back in June.

Pogacar had also recently expressed his anger at the non-nomination of his fiancée Urska Zigart, Slovenian national champion in the road race and individual time trial. It remained unclear whether his somewhat surprising withdrawal from the Olympics had anything to do with this.

Would have been among the medal candidates
This year, he would also have been among the medal candidates in the road race on August 3 and in the individual time trial on July 27. However, the 275-kilometre road race course around the French capital should suit classics specialists such as world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and Wout van Aert (Belgium).