Commonwealth Games 2022: Jonny Brownlee out of triathlon
- Published
Olympic champion Jonny Brownlee has pulled out of England's Commonwealth Games squad because of injury.
The 2014 Commonwealth mixed relay champion, 32, fractured his elbow and wrist in a crash at the World Triathlon Championship series in Leeds in June.
New Zealand's Hayden Wilde apologised and took responsibility for the incident on the bike leg that also forced out England's Alex Yee.
"I'm desperately disappointed," said 2020 Olympic relay champion Brownlee.
The Leeds-born athlete was initially diagnosed with a fractured elbow and was thought to be recovering well, but after struggling with pain in his wrist a scan revealed further damage.
"I was very positive after my original diagnosis about being fit for Birmingham," he added.
"My elbow was getting better by the day, but my wrist wasn't. The scan revealed I have a fractured scaphoid and for the benefit of my long-term health, it needs to go in a cast."
Yee, 24, was checked for concussion after the crash in the Yorkshire race but was passed fit and is available for selection.
Both Brownlee and Yee were selected by Team England to compete in Birmingham when the provisional squad was announced in January. A replacement for Brownlee will be announced soon.
Also in the team is Sam Dickinson and Sian Rainsley who helped GB win gold in the mixed team relay in the latest World Triathlon Championship series event in Hamburg on Sunday and Georgia Taylor-Brown and Sophie Coldwell.
Brownlee won gold in the mixed team relay for Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo alongside Yee, Jessica Learmonth and Taylor-Brown.
He also claimed gold for England in the same event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and took silver four years later on the Gold Coast as well as an individual silver in Australia.
The individual triathlon events at this year's Commonwealth Games will take place at Sutton Park on Friday, 29 July, with the para-triathlon and mixed relay events at the same venue two days later.
England's triathlon and para-triathlon teams
Triathlon: Sam Dickinson, Sian Rainsley, Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sophie Coldwell
Para-Triathlon: Melissa Reid, Grace France (Reid's guide), Katie Crowhurst, Jessica Fullagar (Crowhurst's guide), Iain Dawson, Duncan Shea-Simmonds (Dawson's guide), David Ellis, Luke Pollard (Ellis' guide), Oscar Kelly
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