New Zealand cross-country skier Ben Koons has withdrawn from the 30km pursuit event at the Winter Olympics in Canada, due to illness.
Koons was on track to finish half way up the field, but became unwell during the race and was subsequently lapped.
In cross country pursuit, a lapped athlete must withdraw.
Medical staff examined Koons on site and found no major health concerns.
The event was to be his Olympics debut. He'd been cleared to compete when the International Ski Federation conducted a new blood test which showed his haemoglobin levels within approved limits.
Koons had been stood down from earlier events after a standard blood test showed haemoglobin values just over the limit.
Increased haemoglobin can be caused by dehydration and altitude and can lead to health issues.
Koons helped get his haemoglobin level down with a regime which included drinking 1.5 litres of salty water a day.
Sandford 11th in skeleton event
New Zealand skeleton racer Ben Sandford says his 11th place at the Winter Olympics in Canada may be the best performance of the team so far, but didn't meet all his expectations.
Sandford's four runs rocketed him around the Whistler Sliding Centre in 3:32.59. His time was 2.86 seconds slower than that of the eventual winner, Jon Montgomery of Canada.
Toinette Stoddard finished 14th in the women's race.
