Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk pulls out of mixed relay event due to Achilles injury

Canada's Tyler Mislawchuk missed the Olympic debut of the mixed team relay on Friday due to a partially torn Achilles tendon he sustained in last Sunday's individual race.

The Oak Bluff, Man., native supported his team from the sidelines as Canada finished 15th.

Mislawchuk was left frustrated after finishing 15th in the individual race despite the injury, and team doctors advised him to sit out of the mixed relay to avoid making the situation worse.

"Tyler aggravated his Achilles tendon, which ultimately led to some cramping during the run portion of the race due to compensating for the pain," said Triathlon Canada's High Performance Director Eugene Liang in a press release.

Mislawchuk provided an update on Instagram saying subsequent scans revealed he partially tore his Achilles during the race. The 26-year-old said he experienced discomfort in his Achilles while training last week, and the pain proceeded to get worse during the individual race.

The decision to withdraw was an extremely difficult one Mislawchuk, who entered Tokyo 2020 as a threat to reach the podium.

"It's devastating not to have the opportunity to line up with my teammates," Mislawchuk said.

Olympic newcomer Alexis Lepage of Gatineau, Que., was added to the team as a result, joining Joanna Brown of Carp, Ont., Amélie Kretz of Ste-Therese, Que., and Matthew Sharpe of Campbell River, B.C.