Heart problems leave Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev without a contract with Astana
Dec 11 2018 11:03 pm CET
Astana
Astana Pro Team has taken the decision of not extending the contract of Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev due to heart problems.
The Kazakh rider suffered a health incident at the training camp of September of 2018 and immediately the team started a process of in-depth tests with the involvement of leading cardiologists. The results showed that the state of Kozhatayev's heart doesn't allow him to perform at a professional level at the WorldTour.
"The state of health of Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev in the last few months has raised some questions, so we decided to perform a number of tests in several cardiac centres in order to understand the situation as accurately as possible," said Serge Niamke, chief doctor of Astana.
"Fortunately, no grave pathologies, that might threaten the life of the athlete, were found. However, some deviations have appeared and they are incompatible with the loads that exist in the WorldTour. Therefore, our council informed the team’s management about the current situation and recommended the rider to quit the active professional career."
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