Sarah Gigante of Australia has endured quite a challenging dilemma this year, despite starting the season strong. In hopes of competing in September’s Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Championships in Rwanda, she has been spending ample time training. Sadly, the 24-year-old’s plans have come to a sudden halt after facing a brutal injury.
Gigante is a member of the AG Insurance-Soudal team as of 2024. Her start with the team was incredibly impressive, having landed a victory at the Tour Down Under in South Australia after clinching Stage 3 and the overall classification, according to her team’s website.
She holds a stellar cycling resume and was on track for earning more accolades, making this situation all the more frustrating. However, she has taken the dreadful experience in stride and is now moving forward.
During a training session on Thursday, Gigante managed to break her femur — a notoriously painful fracture — which has now put her out of competition for several months. Now facing a long road to recovery, Gigante appears to be in high spirits, all things considered.
“My short but sweet stint as Sarah 3.0 was pretty good, so I figured the next step was to level up to Sarah 4.0… I’m super disappointed to have broken my femur in training on Thursday (ouch), but the operation went very well and I’m already counting down until I can eventually ride again,” she wrote on social media with an image of her flashing a beaming smile and giving a thumbs up.
“I was so looking forward to hopefully representing Australia at a hilly World Champs in Rwanda and to finish off my season in Italy, but at least the four races I did this year were all great ones… and I sure know how to nail a comeback! For now, it’s time for some R & R and working on my mental resilience even more,” she continued.
Her team, AG Insurance-Soudal, released a statement wishing Gigante a speedy recovery. This is a major loss for the team, but it’s clear that despite the unfavorable situation, her team is solely focused on making sure that she is healthy and feels supported.
With a strong team of athletes, medical professionals, friends, and family behind her, Gigante is undoubtedly in good hands as she begins her lengthy recovery. Once she is back on her feet and ready to get back to her sport, she certainly has the potential to make a legendary comeback.