Commonwealth Games: England cyclist Matt Walls and spectators injured in horrifying crash
England cyclist Matt Walls is taken to hospital after a terrifying crash in which both he and his bike flew into…
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England’s Matt Walls was involved in a terrible crash in which both he and his bike flew into the crowd at track cycling’s Lee Valley VeloPark.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion was treated in the stands for more than half an hour before being taken by ambulance to hospital for tests.
The Isle of Man’s Matt Bostock and Canada’s Derek Gee were taken to hospital for tests.
Spectators were also injured, with one taken away in a wheelchair.
The rest of the session was abandoned and spectators were asked to leave while Walls was having treatment.
Walls was “alert and talking”, said a Team England spokesperson.
The crash happened in the final lap of the of the men’s scratch race qualifying as eight riders collided on the track.
Walls had been trying to avoid riders who had fallen in an incident that began on the entrance to the corner. The stricken pair of New Zealander George Jackson and Australia’s Josh Duffy were sliding up the banking, forcing Walls up on to the barrier and then over it into the crowd.
Footage from the race showed Walls colliding with several spectators.
Gee also surfed the top of the barrier but managed to avoid following Walls into the stands.
Racing was abandoned for the morning session and spectators were asked to leave as medical staff attended to Walls and the other riders.
A Birmingham 2022 spokesperson said: “Three cyclists and two spectators have been treated by the on-site medical team.
“The three cyclists have been taken to hospital. The two spectators did not require hospital treatment.”
Walls won omnium gold and madison silver for Team GB at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Canadian Mathias Guillemette was disqualified from the race for causing the initial crash.
‘It was horrendous to see’ – analysis
Sir Chris Hoy, former Olympic, Commonwealth and world champion, speaking to BBC Sport
This was a direct result of not having some form of barrier at the top of the fencing. It might seem strange that there is nothing to stop riders going over the fence. It’s very rare for it to happen but it has over the years – maybe half a dozen times over 20 years.
Personally I think it’s preventable if you put a plexiglass screen around like they do in ice hockey. Look at motorsport and its catch fencing and the lengths they go to protect the crowd and also the athletes.
I didn’t want to see the video, I have seen a shot of it, and it was horrendous to see but on the whole it’s a very safe sport.
All you can do is learn from mistakes and think: How can we make the velodrome safer for athletes and spectators?
I hope the people in power look at this and think something really has to be done before something genuinely serious happens in the future.
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