Australian track sprinter Matthew Glatzer is still aiming to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite being diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this month. Glatzer underwent surgery last week to remove the cancer, but the 27-year-old plans to continue racing as normal.

Gretzer felt neck pain in October, which he initially mistook for a neck strain he may have suffered during strength training. After regular physiotherapy sessions did not help the pain, Cycling Australia sent him for further testing, and an MRI and ultrasound revealed a nodule in his thyroid gland.

"The next hour we contacted his doctor and he was scheduled for a CT scan and biopsy. That afternoon was pretty hectic with specialist visits, so I had a feeling it was probably going in a direction I didn't want it to go," he said in a Cycling Australia press release.

"I never want to hear that I have cancer. It sounds ominous and quite heavy. But I had been anticipating this all along. I was preparing for the worst-case scenario. At this point, I figured worrying wouldn't help.

The two-time world champion is currently recovering from surgery to remove the growth, but is focused on his big goal next year in Japan. Glatzer, who also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals, finished fourth in both the individual and team sprint at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

"I'm not going to stop chasing the Olympics and trying to be the best in the world. That's what I love to do. 'You get to see everything through. If I can, and if it is safe to do so, this will not affect what I want to do. It just makes me stronger for the next charge.

"[Looking to Tokyo] can help you deal with it if you make light of it. Of course, we know it's a very serious disease, but at the same time it's a treatable disease. So now it's important for me to figure out what my plan is from here and how to minimize the impact on me as an athlete."

Thankfully, Gretzer's cancer is treatable, and Cycling Australia has stated that his prognosis is good because the cancer was caught early.

"I am grateful that the type of cancer I have is treatable," Gretzer added. He added, "I am grateful that my medical team found it, that they took the steps, that they diligently checked my neck pain, which led to this discovery."

He missed the first two rounds of the UCI Track World Cup in Minsk and Glasgow and will miss the third round in Hong Kong. However, he will participate in rounds 4 and 5 in Cambridge, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia next month.

"I will be going to the World Cup in Cambridge and Brisbane to continue my preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. Once the World Cup is over, the next phase of my treatment will begin.

"But after the Brisbane World Cup we have a rest week anyway, which suits our preparations relatively well, and if all goes well it shouldn't have too serious an impact."