English cyclist Joe Truman suffered a horror crash which knocked him unconscious in the men’s keirin at the Commonwealth Games.
Truman had been towards the back of the field when Australian Matt Glaetzer crashed and the 25-year-old had no way of avoiding him, hitting him at nearly 70km/h.
He was immediately knocked out as he landed face first on the track and suffered a suspected broken collarbone.
There was an anxious wait as he was treated trackside by medical staff before sitting up and being taken away in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask over his face.
It created a hushed environment at the London Velodrome, which is being used for Birmingham 2022 to host the track cycling events. And as he was wheeled off the track, he was given a standing ovation by the packed-out 3,000-strong crowd.
Following the incident, BBC pundit Sir Chris Hoy said: “You’re racing as close as you can to the riders around you. Matt Glaetzer got boxed and went into the back of Jack Carlin and feel to the right, and Joe Truman had nowhere left to go.
“Your heart rate is at maximum and adrenalin is flowing. It is a rare thing to have such a serious crash in the velodrome than on the road race when you are training.
“It is just one of those things you have to deal with and it reminds us how tough these guys are and how brave you have to be.”
