The Spaniard was one of the favourites to claim the gold medal in the Olympic men’s triathlon, due to take place on August 18, but has now ruled himself out of contention due to having limited time to recover.

“I'm really sorry to let you all know that yesterday, when I was just about to finish my bike training, I had one of those silly crashes, no faster than 15km per hour,” Gomez wrote on his Facebook page.

“Immediately I felt pain in my elbow so we went to the hospital, scans have confirmed a displaced fracture in the radial head of my left arm.

“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.

“The most sensible thing is to open my spot and allow someone else the chance to race.”

Gomez absence will be a big blow to the sport, with the Spaniard having triumphed in the past three years in the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Series.

He also claimed the Olympic silver medal at London 2012, finishing between British brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, who claimed gold and bronze respectively.

The favourites tag is likely to shift onto the Britons ahead of Rio 2016 after Gomez’s withdrawal, while Spanish attentions are now set to be focused more on Mario Mola.

Mola has triumphed in three ITU World Series events already this season and will be looking for a fourth victory here tomorrow.

Yesterday, the Spanish triathlete played down fears over the water quality off the coast of Copacabana Beach, where the swim section of the Olympic triathlon will take place.