Sailor Paul Goodison injured while on racing duty

The former Olympic gold medallist is believed to have slipped and fell after racing in the Louis Vuitton knockout round at the America’s Cup at the weekend in Barcelona.

Helmsman of USA entry, American Magic, Goodison was taking sails down when he suffered the fall and is believed to have broken five ribs on one side of his body and also suffered fractures on the other side.

His team have not revealed the exact extent of his injuries but said he has not been hospitalised.

Terry Hutchinson, American Magic’s president of sailing, said: “He is doing well now, he’s a day-to-day athlete.

“We have a good process in place to support him healing and then getting him back out racing.”

Hutchinson added that the nature of Goodison’s injuries were “a personal matter for him and his family”.

He added: “He got home and got checked out and got into bed.

“We do have a prognosis, but I’m not going to talk about it here. He’s a day-to-day athlete for us and we look forward to him healing and getting back out on the water.”

Goodison (46) is unlikely to feature in the upcoming Challenger Semi-Final and Final stages and has been replaced by back-up helmsman Lucas Calabrese.

A former pupil at Brinsworth Comprehensive School, Goodison won a gold medal at the 2008 OIympic Games in Beijing after just missing out on the podium four years earlier in Athens.

Even though injury ruled him out of London 2012, Goodison changed tack, winning his first Moth World Championship title in 2016 and then going on to win three back to back.

He received an MBE in 2009 and has remained a leading international sailor.