Cyclist Biniam Girmay has been forced to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia as a result of an incident with a prosecco bottle while he was on the podium celebrating a win.
The 22-year-old made history on Tuesday (17 May) by becoming the first Black African to win a stage of one of cycling's Grand Tours at the race in Italy.
Girmay was set to continue on to the next stage today after taking over Netherlands' Mathieu van der Poel in the 10th stage of the Giro in Jesi, Italy, but he suffered an injury to his eye when the prosecco cork popped in his direction.
Piet Daneels, doctor for the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert team, revealed Girmay suffered a haemorrhage in the anterior chamber of his eye when the cork hit him in the eye amid the celebrations.
The cyclist has now been recommended to avoid physical activity, meaning he is unable to continue with the race.
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In a statement on the incident cited by CNN, Daneels said: "Our priority is a complete healing of the injury and that's why we decided together with the rider and the sports director that Biniam will not appear at the start of the 11th stage."
Girmay, who made his Grand Tour debut at the racing event that kicked off on 6 May, commended the work of his team after he was forced to leave the race, saying it had done 'almost 99 percent (from) the beginning to the finish'.
"I am really happy about the team (and) what they did," he continued. "Everybody, they are super-motivated before the start, during the race, after the race, we really helped each other, we supported each other. It was a good atmosphere."
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The cyclist also assured his fans he was okay in a post shared on Instagram in the wake of the incident, writing: "Hey everyone, I am ok, I want to thank everyone for the messages and the support.
"I am sorry to miss the rest of the Giro. Was looking forward to ride again with my teammates and fight with the best riders for the win and ciclamino. But I have to stop and I have to recover and have to rest a couple of days. See you soon."
Girmay received treatment at a local hospital after being struck in the eye, but was later able to return to his hotel and enjoy dinner with his teammates.
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Topics: World News, Sport, Viral
Emily Brown