Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary earlier this week to have his appendix removed.
The Team GB athlete, who clinched gold in the triathlon at London 2012, has revealed that he fell ill and needed to be consulted by his doctor, who informed him that he needed to have immediate surgery.
Brownlee tweeted: "Yes it was my appendix. Got horribly ill last week, went into hospital with a sore tummy and came out 2 days later. Thanks Dad and NHS!"
The 24-year-old was not the only Brownlee to succeed at the London Games - his brother, Jonathan, won bronze in the same event.