French sailor Maxime Sorel has officially withdrawn from the Vendée Globe race after suffering a severe ankle injury. After five challenging days at sea, Sorel’s condition worsened, limiting his mobility and making it unsafe to continue. The injury occurred shortly after the race began, when he was attempting to fix issues with his boat. Sorel expressed the physical and mental toll of the experience, noting the difficulty of performing repairs in his state. He becomes the first sailor to abandon the race, which still features 39 participating boats.