Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi has been hospitalized just days before he is set to defend his high jump title, which he famously shared in Tokyo.
The Italian athlete revealed that he is suspected of having a kidney issue, just three days before the qualifying round is set to start at the Paris Games.
Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim created one of the most iconic moments in Tokyo three years ago when they chose to share the gold medal after tying with identical clearances and receiving permission from event officials.
On Sunday, however, Tamberi posted a picture of himself, external in a hospital bed and said: “Unbelievable… this can’t be true. Yesterday… I felt a stabbing pain in my side.
“Emergency room, CT scan, ultrasound, blood test. Probable kidney stone.
“And now I find myself, three days before the event for which I sacrificed everything, lying in a bed, helpless, with a fever of 38.8.”
The 32-year-old said he had been advised to postpone his travel to Paris until Monday.
“Only one thing is certain, I don’t know how I will get there, but I will be there on that platform and I will give my soul until the last jump, whatever my condition will be,” he added.
The qualifying competition takes place on Wednesday morning, with the final on Sunday.