José Joaquín Rojas undergoes successful heart procedure

Spanish Movistar sprinter José Joaquín Rojas has operation to rectify a heart condition discovered during pre-season medical checks

José Joaquín Rojas in hospital after a heart procedure. Photo: José Joaquín Rojas/Twitter
(Image credit: José Joaquín Rojas/Twitter)

Spanish sprinter José Joaquín Rojas has posted photographs of himself recovering in hospital after an operation to rectify a heart condition on Wednesday.

Rojas discovered he had the condition during the Movistar team pre-season medical checks, and it was confirmed that he had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The condition can lead to tachycardia - an abnormally fast heart rate for periods of time.

Rojas visited the Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona for the procedure, which he underwent on Wednesday morning, tweeting "Everything went great!", and thanked his fans for their support.

See more

"It was detected during an electrocardiogram and ultrasound of the heart," Rojas said when his diagnosis was first revealed on Tuesday. "It's something that poses no problem to people with a normal life, but it can affect elite athletes."

Rojas is expected to return home later on Wednesday, and resume training soon after.

The 30-year-old from Murcia is a regular feature of top ten positions in sprint stages of major races, but wins are more elusive. His sole victory in 2015 was the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar. He has previously won stages of the Vuelta a Castilla y León, Tour of the Basque Country and Volta a Catalunya, and he was Spanish national road race champion in 2011.

Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.