Dutch BMX racer crashes, walks into finals in Rio
Niek Kimmann and half a bike walked into the semi-finals in Rio. (Getty Images)
Netherlands BMX rider Niek Kimmann shouldn’t bother buying a lottery ticket again after being on the right end of one of the great slices of Olympic good fortune. He’s used up all the luck he is likely to ever receive.
The 20-year-old crashed heavily during a heat in the men’s BMX heats and was forced to carry his bike around the track. Despite this he was still able to reach the semi-finals.
His bike was so badly damaged it was missing the front wheel, but obviously that is just a minor detail in BMX racing.
In scenes reminiscent of Chris Froome running up the mountain during this year’s Tour de France, Kimmann did whatever it took.
His time for that heat was more than one minute slower than he was able to produce in an earlier race.
"It felt like slow motion, and I thought, 'This is it, my first Olympics, and it is already over'. But then I was on the ground. I think I'm OK. Everything hurts but nothing is broken," Kimmann told Fairfax Media.
"I tried to pick up my bike, and then I saw my bike was in three pieces. I took my bike and ran all the way to the finish line. Then I tried to pull myself together."
Kimmann progressed after a host of other riders were unable to complete heats due to accidents.