Australian middle distance champion Stewart McSweyn has been forced to withdraw from the World Athletics Indoor Championships due to long COVID.
McSweyn was scheduled to compete in both the 1500m and 3000m events in Belgrade, but his inability to complete a 10,000m race in Melbourne this week prompted doctors to warn him against making the trip to Serbia later this month.
He is the current Oceanian record holder for both the events he was set to compete in during the upcoming Championships.
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The 26-year-old tested positive to COVID-19 earlier in the year and has struggled to overcome complications related to the illness in the months that have followed.
McSweyn’s decision to withdraw from the Australian team set to make the trip to Serbia was made official via a press release from Athletics Australia on Wednesday.
“Stewart is one of our strongest distance athletes on the track and while it’s unfortunate that he has had to withdraw from the World Athletics Indoor Championships, we unreservedly support this decision,” Athletics Australia General Manager, High Performance Andrew Faichney said in the statement.
“The health and wellbeing of our athletes must always come first, and we wish him all the best with his recovery. We look forward to seeing Stewart back on the track when he is ready.”
Australia will now send a team of 15 athletes to the Championships, which take place from March 18-20.
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