Gwendalyn Gibson fractured her collarbone in Mairipora and will miss the upcoming races

Gwendalyn Gibson has announced through her social networks that she has a fractured collarbone. The American rider fell hard to the ground while going through a rock garden last Sunday in Mairipora. After a successful operation, she now begins a recovery period that will force her to miss this weekend's XCO World Cup in Araxa and the upcoming calendar commitments.

Gwendalyn Gibson breaks her collarbone and is sidelined from competition until further notice

The XCO World Cup 2024 started last weekend in the Brazilian town of Mairipora. The women's race had a strong American presence thanks to the outstanding performances of Haley Batten and Savilia Blunk, as well as Kelsey Urban and Kate Courtney, who finished in the top ten. However, the also American Gwendalyn Gibson was not as lucky and had to end the race prematurely.

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The race broadcast cameras showed Gwendalyn Gibson -winner of the XCC World Cup in Snowshoe 2022- walking off the track accompanied by medical staff. The Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli then revealed that her withdrawal was due to a fall she had suffered in the second lap of the race, while riding alongside her teammate Jolanda Neff; although they openly talked about an injury, they remained silent about the specific impact.

Now Gibson herself has provided more details about her health. In the post she has shared through her social media profile, the American explains that she hit the ground while passing through a rock garden and admits that "I immediately knew something was wrong".

Furthermore, she adds that she has fractured her collarbone and "right now it seems like a nightmare, but I know I can come back stronger".

This is the full statement:

It is not at all how I expected and dreamed of starting this season. I was having a good race in XCO, getting close to the top 10, and I had a strong fall. I immediately knew something was wrong and now I know I have broken my collarbone. I have been operated on to repair the break and will soon return home to recover. Right now it seems like a nightmare, but I know I can come back stronger. I am more motivated than ever to regain my health and finish this season in the best way. Thanks to everyone who has reached out to make sure I am okay. And a big thank you to my team and everyone at home who is supporting me. And thanks to Ben Oliver for being with me during the operation and even learning how to braid my hair.

At least it made me smile to see how well all the American riders did in Brazil. So many amazing passes, just incredibly inspiring to watch.

The injury - as always untimely - comes right at the beginning of the Olympic season. The US women's team is one of the highest scoring and their riders are silently battling for the two tickets to Paris. Gibson is in third place, although with the collarbone fracture she is forced to say goodbye to the Olympic race and the spots already seem to have names and surnames.

This is the ranking of the main American riders:

1. Kate Courtney - 1484 points
2. Savilia Blunk - 1478 points
3. Gwendalyn Gibson - 1205 points
4. Haley Batten - 1083 points
5. Kelsey Urban - 710 points

Gwendalyn Gibson is already flying home after the successful operation. Meanwhile, the rest of the team remains within Brazilian borders to compete in the second round of the XCO World Cup, this time in the town of Araxa, in Minas Gerais.