Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi has revealed that he has been hospitalized with kidney stones, just days before the high jump qualifying event at Paris 2024.
According to Report, which cites Eurosport, Tamberi shared the high jump gold medal in Tokyo with Qatar's Mutaz Barshim. The pair competed for two hours, but could not quite complete a 2.39m jump and both decided to share the gold in a remarkable and historic moment.
However, Tamberi's hopes of becoming a double Olympic champion have suffered a setback, as the Italian took to Instagram to update fans that he was currently in hospital with a "probable" kidney stone.
The qualifying event of the men's high jump is due to start on Wednesday, with the final taking place on Sunday.
"Unbelievable... this can't be true. Yesterday, two hours afrer I wrote 'I deserve it' on social media, I felt a stabbing pain in my side. Emergency room, CT scan, ultrasound, blood test. Probable kidney stone," wrote Tamberi.
"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."