Athletics-Triple Olympic champion Wlodarczyk injured while foiling attempted break-in

(Reuters) - Three-times Olympic hammer throw champion Anita Wlodarczyk said she will undergo surgery after being injured while apprehending a thief who attempted to break into her car.

Poland's Wlodarczyk, who became the first woman to win an individual Olympic athletics event three times in a row in Tokyo last year, said the thief was a "foreigner."

"I single-handedly apprehended the thief and handed him over to the police," Wlodarczyk wrote in a post on Instagram on Friday, along with a picture of her car, which had scuff marks on it.

"Unfortunately I paid for it with a muscle injury. Injury diagnosed. Surgery on Monday.

"Thank you (Polish police) for your quick intervention. After my career I think I'll fight in MMA or UFC like our champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk because the perpetrator got hurt..."

The 36-year-old will be looking to recover from the injury before the world championships in Oregon in July, where she could win her fifth world title.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)