NZ triathlete suffers freak injury

New Zealand endurance athlete Bryan Rhodes expects to be sidelined for up to a year after suffering a freak injury while competing in the United States last weekend.

Rhodes ruptured an Achilles tendon as he started the swim leg of the Steelhead Ironman in Florida when a competitor stood on his foot as he was accelerating into the water.

"I felt it snap and it sort of felt like cramp," said Rhodes who completed the swim near the head of the field.

However, when back on shore the pain intensified and he was ferried to a nearby hospital where the extent of the injury became apparent.

The Taupo-based athlete will now be unable to defend his Ironman Canada title on August 30 or compete in the iconic Ironman world championships in Hawaii in October.

"In my 20 years of triathlon racing this is the worst injury I have ever had and hopefully I will be able to bounce back stronger,"' said Rhodes, who is returning to Auckland for surgery before undertaking a lengthy rehabilitation process.

- NZPA