Yousif Mirza’s status for September’s UCI Road World Championships is in serious doubt after the UAE cyclist suffered multiple injuries in a motorbike accident on Sunday night in Jumeirah.
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Mirza was rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai after coming off his bike near roadworks and breaking bones in his arms and shoulders.
He underwent surgery for six hours on Monday (19 May) and will have a third operation on a fractured ankle on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old has qualified for the Road World Championships, held from September 19-27, as well as the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
While Mirza’s injuries shouldn’t stop him from competing in Brazil, UAE cycling team manager Abdulla Suwaidan claims doctors don’t believe he’ll be ready for the World Championships in Richmond, USA.
recover quickly captain uae yousif mirza.. pic.twitter.com/WXb8GN6bdn
— agungbayuPA (@bayuphysicalth1) May 18, 2015
“The doctors say it would be at least two or three months before he can recover,” Suwaidan said.
“For Rio, he should be ready. They don’t think it will affect him too much for the future, but for the World Championships, he can’t be ready. The doctor promised though he’ll be back on the bike, but not before two or three months.”
A day before the accident, Mirza, the UAE’s No1 cyclist and ranked No6 in the Asia Tour rankings, had helped Al Nasr to gold in the President’s Cup.
“What happened was, in Jumeirah, he was going to have dinner with his friends. There was a signal and I think he lost his balance,” Suwaidan added. “There was construction work and he crashed with the barrier on the road. Then the bike came on his body.”
