Gwendalyn Gibson, a talented cross-country mountain biker, shared that she suffered a broken collarbone during the third lap of the women’s Olympic distance race on Sunday. Despite undergoing surgery in Brazil, she plans to fly home to Colorado soon. Although unsure about the recovery timeline, she hopes to make it to Nove Mesto, which is the final Olympic qualifier.
Before the crash, Gibson was in 17th place on the first lap but moved up to 14th position by the end of the second lap after having the fifth fastest lap time. She expressed her disappointment at starting the year this way but sees it as a possible blessing in disguise and looks forward to making a comeback.
Gibson has experience with recovering from injuries, having broken her kneecap during the 2022 season. Despite this setback, she went on to have a successful year with a win in Short Track in Snowshoe, a second-place finish at Mont-Sainte-Anne, and a third-place finish at the World Championships. Following these achievements, she signed with Trek Factory Racing for the 2023 season. We wish Gibson all the best with her recovery and look forward to seeing her back on the bike soon.
