Wheel appears to explode in wild velodrome quarter-final crash
Updated . First published at
A nasty crash has taken out three cyclists just seconds after the women's keirin quarter-final.
Chinese cyclist Liying Yuan had to be helped off the track following the crash, during which part of her wheel appeared to explode and debris from bikes and helmets was spread across the track.
The six-lap keirin begins with riders following a motorised bike called a derny for three laps. When it swings off the track, the riders are left to sprint for three more laps. The races are typically elbow-to-elbow affairs all the way to the finish line.
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Nicky Degrendele of Team Belgium and Liying Yuan of Team People's Republic of China crash. Getty
Lea Friedrich of Germany, world champion Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand and Nicky Degrendele of Belgium were safely ahead and into the semi-finals, leaving Yuan trying to claim the last of four spots. She tried to squeeze past Dutch rider Steffie van der Peet in a hole that did not exist as they crossed the finish line, taking them both down in the first turn.
It took track organisers almost 15 minutes to repair the timber velodrome and clean away the shards of bikes and helmets.
"Oh, yikes. That was really nasty. The Belgian rider, the third to fall has fallen very, very heavily," Nine commentator Kate Bates said.
"Often you fall heavier when you're not anticipating it, and because the fall happened behind (Degrendele), she was just easing up.
"She did not see that coming. All three riders are still on the track."
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Liying Yuan is assisted after crashing during the women's keirin event. AP
Nicky Degrendele crashes during the women's keirin quarter finals. Getty
Degrendele was able to stand and walk off, while Van der Peet had a shredded skinsuit and bloody burns from hitting the track.
Both were left to quickly recover from the wreck before the semifinals later on Thursday (Friday AEST).
Yuan was the last of the three riders to stand up and needed to be helped up by her two coaches.
Australia's Kristina Clonan managed to avoid the crash, though she finished last in her quarter-final race.
- Reported with AP
