Daniela Ryf’s farewell season in elite triathlon will not include T100 London after the Swiss great was forced to pull out of the marquee event on Friday.
The 37-year-old ‘Angry Bird’ announced in March that this would be her final season as a professional, but so far the farewell tour she announced has been hampered by a coccyx injury.
Ryf started the year with fifth place at T100 Miami, but a month later she struggled through the pain barrier when finishing only eighth at IRONMAN South Africa. Tests later confirmed no fractures, but she confirmed she would need to rest and rehab the painful injury.
Ryf loses race against time
After missing T100 San Francisco earlier this month, Daniela had hoped to be back in time for T100 London – which takes place in the UK capital on Saturday July 27. But on Friday she was forced to confirm that the race against time to be fit was a step too far.
Writing on her Instagram account, Daniela explained: “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from T100 London on July 27/28th. While my body is healing and I’m getting stronger, I won’t be quite race-ready just yet.
“The last 10 weeks have been hard, but they’ve also taught me again the importance of patience and perseverance.
“I’m using this time to focus on my weaknesses and believe I can come back even stronger. I’m excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to be back out there competing with all of you.
“Thank you for your continued support and understanding. Your positive messages mean a lot to me. Stay tuned for more updates on my journey! We will be dropping a YouTube video about my training in St. Moritz soon 🔜 👀”
IMWC at Nice next for Daniela?
The planned 2024 race schedule Daniela announced back in March had the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice as her next challenge after London. If she does make the start line there, she would of course be bidding for an incredible sixth victory in the race.
The other races Ryf had targeted between now and the end of the year were T100 events in Las Vegas (October 19) and Dubai (November 17) before what would be the final race of her sensational career – the T100 Final on November 30.