Lizzy Yarnold, Great Britain’s most decorated Winter Olympian, won her second skeleton gold medal while facing knee surgery for a rare genetic condition.
The 29-year-old was diagnosed with pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), which is characterised by inflammation and a non-cancerous mass or tumour in the lining of the joint, last November, British Skeleton and Bobsleigh said.
Yarnold competed in Pyeongchang, overcoming a chest infection and dizzy spells to win a second successive skeleton gold medal and become the first Briton to defend an Winter Olympics title, before undergoing an operation earlier this month.
Recovering well from my knee op: https://t.co/9osXLW7F98 Hobbling about but nothing wrong with my voice to shout about @BBCSport @sportrelief today. See you soon Salford!
— Lizzy Yarnold (@TheYarnold) March 23, 2018
She is recovering at home and using crutches, with the intention of returning to training next month.
She told the BBSA: “The operation went well which is great and I’m pleased to have got it out of the way.
“I’d always had tightness problems with my left quad and last summer it swelled up unusually. I’m grateful the medical team started investigating and found out about the PVNS.”
“Lizzy faced a number of challenges on the road to her second Olympic Gold medal and this is another example of her mental and physical strength in overcoming what could undoubtedly have been a distraction for her.”
