GTWS leader Elhousine Elazzaoui a major doubt for Tatra SkyMarathon after ankle injury

Elhousine Elazzaoui, winner of the Mont-Blanc Marathon and current leader of the Golden Trail World Series, is a major doubt for Saturday’s Tatra SkyMarathon.

The Moroccan skipped Sierre-Zinal last weekend to focus on the upcoming Polish race – but a severe ankle sprain has thrown everything into doubt.

‘I’m afraid it might be broken’

He told the GTWS’ Mickaël Mussard: “It’s not great – I twisted my ankle a few days ago on a trail I know by heart near my home, while I was running very slowly, at 6 min/km.

“I’m devastated because I feel like this could ruin everything, and I’m afraid it might be broken. I haven’t been able to get any further tests done yet; the appointments were hard to get where I was, but I hope to get one when I arrive in Poland.

“I have this feeling that I’ve done everything right since the beginning of the year, and now everything might collapse at the end. I know these things happen, it’s just bad luck, but it’s a bit depressing.

Decision pending

All will be decided when he gets to Poland, but Elhousine added: “For now, I’m in pain. I can manage to run on flat terrain, but in the mountains, it’s not good. I’ll need to get an X-ray, and if it’s not broken, I’ll decide based on what the physio says.

“I wanted to score more points by going for a win, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to race in Poland. That said, I already have some great results, so I just hope it’s not broken and that it heals quickly.”

One of those great results he referred to was that Mont-Blanc Marathon success where he got the better of an absorbing battle with Rémi Bonnet and, looking back at that, he said: “I’m happy to have secured that victory after three podiums since the beginning of the year.

“I was well-prepared, but I knew it was a race where I had already dropped out twice. But, evidently, the experience I’ve gained is really starting to pay off.

“I received a lot of encouragement during the race and even afterward. I’m proud of all this because I feel like I’m becoming an inspiration in my country.”