Jolanda Neff resigns from the Olympics and gives up her spot

As announced a few weeks ago, Swiss athlete Jolanda, the current Olympic champion, has just announced that she is withdrawing from competing in the Paris Olympics in 13 days. Her respiratory problems persist, and she has decided to give up her spot to her teammate Sina Frei.

Jolanda Neff withdraws from competing in the Paris Olympics

This is how Jolanda Neff explained the problem she has been dealing with for some time, which has been affecting her performance:

"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."

She gave herself 3 weeks to try to be competitive for the Olympics, but her plan did not work out, and in the recent Swiss Championship held this weekend, she finished sixth, far behind her teammates.

The Swiss Federation has confirmed that Jolanda Neff, the winner of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will be replaced by her teammate Sina Frei, who won the silver medal in Tokyo.