July 13 (Reuters) - Three-time Olympic gold medallist Max Whitlock has withdrawn from the upcoming Commonwealth Games due to a hand injury sustained in training.
Whitlock came out of retirement late last year to earn a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, having said that his career felt "incomplete" after he missed out on a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 33-year-old Englishman won his three Olympic gold medals across the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Games. He has also claimed four Commonwealth Games gold medals, winning in Glasgow in 2014 and Gold Coast in 2018.
"I'm incredibly disappointed to have to say that I have no choice but to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games," Whitlock said in an Instagram post on Monday.
"Representing Team England has always meant a huge amount to me, and I had been working incredibly hard for the opportunity to compete and contribute to the team once again.
"Unfortunately, I picked up an injury to my hand in training and, despite doing everything possible to give myself the best chance of competing, won't be able to recover in time.
"Setbacks are part of sport and my focus now is on recovering properly, supporting the team and coming back stronger."
The Commonwealth Games are being held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
