Spain triathlon world champion Gomez Noya pulls out of Rio after accident

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's world and European triathlon champion Javier Gomez Noya pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday after fracturing his left arm in a bicycle accident, according to the Spanish Olympic Committee.

(Reuters)

Gomez Noya, the only triathlete to wind five world titles, was among the favourites to clinch gold at this year's Olympics in Rio after claiming silver in London in 2012.

"Unfortunately this has forced me to pull out of competing in Rio. I need to be realistic, there is no time to prepare and to be fit on the start line of the games," Gomez Noya said on its Twitter account.

Gomez Noya recently won his most prestigious sports award, the Princess of Asturias prize, for his "brilliant achievements".

(Reporting By Jesús Aguado; Editing by Paul Day)