Jolanda Neff considers giving up on the Paris Olympics: "I have had this problem for four years"

The Swiss team was the first to announce who would be their members for the Paris Olympics, and among them is the current Olympic champion Jolanda Neff. But Neff has just confirmed in an interview that she may give up her spot in the coming weeks.

Jolanda Neff gives herself 3 weeks to decide if she will be in Paris 2024

The Swiss team announced this Monday after the Nove Mesto World Cup their representatives for Paris 2024 in XCO. And among them was Jolanda Neff, who would go to defend the gold medal she won in Tokyo 3 years ago.

But Jolanda Neff has surprised everyone by explaining during an interview with the Swiss media SRF that her participation is up in the air and depends on whether she finds a solution to a respiratory problem she has been struggling with for 4 years in the coming weeks.

"I have had the same problem for four years. I don't know why, but I don't get much air when I breathe. I have had coronavirus three times and I don't know if my lungs are somehow damaged. In addition, I have had strong hay fever (pollen allergy) since 2016. I had it more or less under control. But when everything comes together, I can't breathe."

"I have to find out if there is something to cure my lungs. I will see everything that can be done. Either I find a solution in the next two or three weeks and see that there is a little hope. Or if not, I shouldn't go to Paris."

"I prefer someone else to go. I don't have to be at the Olympics to be the last. I just want to participate if I am capable."

If she definitively gives up the Olympic spot, her compatriot Sina Frei would take her place.

Furthermore, in the same interview, Neff, after explaining her health problems, was able to talk a little more about how this problem affects her performance and the reasons for the ups and downs in recent years.

"As soon as I raise the level, the system explodes and I can no longer breathe. I can only gain a little time in the technical sections and then just pedal at my own pace on the climbs. This requires a lot of patience and is extremely frustrating. In Nove Mesto, the pace was so high from the start that I completely exploded. I couldn't breathe at all."

"From 2014 to 2018, I won at least one major title every year, I was always at the front in the overall World Cup standings, I won it three times. Now I really need it to rain to hope for less pollen in the air. Now I'm at a point where I have to wait for a race with rain. It really can't be with all the effort I make. I have always had fun on the bike and not anymore."

It is worth remembering that respiratory problems related to allergies were what led to the retirement of a legend in XCO like Julien Absalon, so we hope that Jolanda Neff finds a solution that allows her to enjoy this sport again and perform at her best.