WORLD
Dutch cyclist flips, falls on face in ugly crash during Olympic race
Baku, August 8, AZERTAC
Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten was involved in a gruesome-looking, head-first crash during the women’s road race at the Olympics on Sunday, skidding out on a descent of what seemed to be a slightly wet track and flipping over the handlebars of her bike, according to Daily News.
NOS Sport reported Sunday afternoon that van Vleuten suffered a concussion and three cracks in her spine, and that she is in intensive care.
The Dutch Cycling Federation previously tweeted after the race that van Vleuten was conscious and being taken to a hospital to be examined further. Teammate Anna van der Breggen won the gold medal.
Van Vleuten was leading the race with about 6.7 miles left before the crash, which appeared to leave her motionless for some time.
One year ago Saturday, van Vleuten was hit by car in Italy during a training ride, from which she suffered three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a collapsed lung.