Brazilian Darlan Romani, 2022 indoor world shot put championis out of the Paris Olympics due to a herniated disc in the lumbar region. According to official note from the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt), the 33-year-old from Santa Catarina asked for a leave of absence as he will need to undergo surgery.
“According to André Guerreiro, the Brazilian delegation’s doctor, it is a hernia in the L4 and L5 vertebrae, in the lumbar region, which had already been treated with surgical correction three and a half years ago, before the Tokyo 2020 competition,” clarified the CBAt in a statement.
Considered one of the favorites for the podium in Paris, Darlan traveled at the end of June to train in León (Spain), but returned to Brazil last Friday (19) because of lower back pain. He had already undergone physiotherapy and medication treatment in Spain, but was unsuccessful.
In a statement from Darlan to CBAt, the athlete reported that he is unable to walk due to pain, and thanked fans, partners and sponsors for their support during this difficult time.
In addition to the indoor world title won two years ago in Belgrade (Serbia), Darlan is two-time Pan American shot put champion (Lima 2019 and Santiago 2023 editions). At the Tokyo Games, the athlete came in fourth place, the same position he achieved at the World Championships in Doha (Qatar) in 2019.
With Darlan’s absence, the Brazilian athletics delegation will feature 42 athletes in Paris (19 women and 22 men). This Tuesday (23), 18 players set off for Portugal where will undergo acclimatization at the Desmor Sports Complex in the city of Santarém. The team will enter the Olympic Village in Paris five days before the start of the athletics events, scheduled to take place from August 1 to 11.
