Jolanda Neff will not be able to defend her Olympic gold in Paris at the end of July. She has been struggling with breathing problems for some time. An examination has revealed that she suffers from a "constriction of the vocal cords due to exertion", as Swiss Cycling writes.

However, logopaedic (i.e. speech therapy) treatment has brought about an improvement. After her selection as one of two Swiss Cycling athletes, she wrote on Instagram: "As I explained in an interview with SRF, it only makes sense for me to travel to Paris this summer and represent Switzerland if I am competitive and completely healthy." Now, less than two weeks before the race, that is no longer realistic. The 31-year-old from eastern Switzerland will therefore not be able to compete in her third Olympic Games in 2024.

Jolanda Neff's bad luck is Sina Frei's good fortune. Swiss Cycling has re-nominated the rider from the Zurich Oberland region. The silver medal winner from Tokyo has achieved fewer top placings in the last two seasons than in the seasons before. Nevertheless, she has shown her potential with a 5th place in the 2023 Olympic test race. Nevertheless, some are still wondering why Nicole Koller, who has often finished ahead of Sina Frei recently, is not being given a chance. The only one who reliably finishes at the front is Alesasndra Keller.

The cross-country races at the Olympic Games in Paris take place on July 28 (women) and July 29 (men).