From the happiest day of his life to having to withdraw from the Giro d’Italia. 24 hours after becoming the first cyclist from black Africa to win a Grand Tour stage, Biniam Girmay has been forced to withdraw from the event due to an eye injury caused by uncorking the Prosecco bottle at the award ceremony. podium. The plug jumped out and hit his left eye, for which he had to go to a hospital after the celebration.
After being treated on Tuesday afternoon at a hospital in the municipality of Jesi, where the stage ended, Girmay was released after doctors checked that his eye had not suffered significant damage. His team, Intermarché, preferred to wait until Wednesday morning to make a decision about his continuity in the Giro and, in the meantime, organized a small party in his honor at the Riccione hotel where they were staying. Finally, he decided not to risk it and not get back on the bike immediately “as a precaution”.
“Exams revealed injuries to the left eye that require the greatest caution and rest,” the Belgian team said. The doctor Piet Daneels, in charge of assessing the cyclist’s condition, reported that Girmay had suffered “a hemorrhage in the anterior chamber of the left eye.” Although the disease is evolving “in the right direction”, he recommended the Eritrean “avoid intense activities” to minimize the risk “of hemorrhagic expansion and intraocular pressure”. More tests will be done over the next few days.
This Wednesday, the organization of the Giro announced through its social networks that the Eritrean cyclist has been forced to withdraw from the competition. “The Giro continues”, lamented from Intermarché: “We will continue fighting for you. We lost our leader, but we still have big ambitions.”
Biniam Girmay himself published a video on social networks in which he thanked his teammates for the work they did to take him to the highest place on the podium. “Congratulations! This victory is not only mine, but of the whole team”, he pointed out. However, he was sorry for not being able to continue in the test because his eye “needs to rest”. “I really want to come back next season. I’m fine now, see you soon,” he concluded.
Girmay debuted in the Giro d’Italia as one of the promises who seem destined to give Africa great joy. He joined the Intermarché team in 2021, after turning professional the year before. He began to realize his potential with his second place in the Under-23 World Cup last season, in which he already fought in a sprint with Gaviria or Hayter. This March, he conquered the Ghent-Welvegem classic in Flanders, Belgium.
In the first stage on the Italian route, he already finished second, just behind Mathieu Van der Poel. He finished fourth in both the third and sixth stages, but it was on Jesi that he was able to get his revenge on him. He crossed the finish line first, relegating the Dutchman to second place, and wrote his name in the history books, before the unexpected accident forced him to retire.
Van der Poel himself was about to have an accident after winning the first stage of the Giro. During the celebration on the podium, when uncorking the bottle of sparkling wine, the stopper hit his shoulder, centimeters from his face, although this did not prevent him from getting back on the bike immediately.
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