Video | Bad news for Nairo Quintana: his plans were cut short due to illness

Nairo Quintana received very bad news in the last few hours, after what was his discreet presentation at the Colombia Tour, race in which he finished outside the top-10 and could not keep up with runners like Rigoberto Urán, Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz.

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However the Tour Colombia 2024 It was not just another race for the man from Boyacá, since it marked his return to official competition after a year and a half of absence. The last stage race he had faced was the Tour de France 2022, competition in which a test returned an adverse result for tramadol.

TO nairo He looked different in the last stages of the Colombia Tour, In the penultimate one, he lost more than six minutes with the main group and there the few remaining hopes of victory were buried.

In last Sunday's stage, which took place from He sniffed, passed through the municipalities of Tocancipá, Gachanzipá, Chocontá, Sesquilé, Guatavita, crossed the Alto de Patios and La Calera, just before reaching the National Park in Bogotá, Quintana He looked diminished again and it seemed that the year and a half without running was taking its toll on him.

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But, in the last hours it was revealed that the runner born in Cómbita, Boyacá, He was not in good health and had some complications that decimated his performance.

Own Nairo Quintana He came out to confirm the rumors and explained that a Covid-19 test was positive, so he will have to rest and postpone his plans with the Movistar team.

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“I haven't been able to go out to train, I finished the Tour Colombia very sick, I had been feeling pretty bad for days before and I thought I had caught the flu. When I returned home I relaxed and took the Covid test and it came back positive.” , he explained.

The news falls very badly for the runner and the telephone team, who will have to rethink the start of the season. Furthermore, the Colombian confirmed that he will not be in the O Great Road which will be disputed in Galicia from next February 22 to 25.

“It hit me hard, I have had a lot of symptoms… I also wanted to tell you that the return to Europe is delayed a little until the coronavirus goes away and I cannot do the Gran Camino race,” he concluded.

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