Olympic cyclist Katy Marchant was sent flying into spectators at high speed in a horror crash. British Cycling has confirmed that the remainder of the UCI Track Champions League competition has been cancelled following the incident.
Marchant reportedly suffered a fractured forearm and was treated at the scene. Fellow rider Alessa-Catriona Propster and several spectators also received medical attention.
The accident occurred during the women’s keirin, in which riders pace themselves behind a motorcycle before entering a sprint for the finish line. A pile-up forced Marchant off the track and, in horrific scenes, the 31-year-old tumbled in the air and into the crowd.
Broadcaster Eurosport cut away from the velodrome out of respect to those involved. However, trackside reporter Adam Blythe returned with an update.
He told viewers: “The good news is that the GB rider (Marchant) is okay. She has got a broken forearm, but seems to be in a stable condition.
“There were a couple of members from the crowd that were involved and they seem to be okay as well. Everyone’s in a good condition, although Katy Marchant has broken her forearm.”
A British Cycling statement read: “We can confirm that following an incident during the women’s keirin, the rest of the racing at the UCI Track Champions League at Lee Valley VeloPark has been cancelled.”
Governing body UCI wrote in a separate statement: “We can confirm that following an incident during the women’s keirin races tonight, the rest of the UCI Track Champions League racing at Lee Valley Velo Park has been cancelled. More information will be provided when it becomes available.”
A Eurosport statement read: “We can confirm that two riders and four spectators received medical treatment following an incident during tonight’s UCI Track Champions League event at Lee Valley VeloPark, in London.
“The incident took place during the Women’s Keirin race. The event medics responded immediately, with one rider transferred to the hospital.
“WBD Sports, British Cycling, Lee Valley VeloPark, and the Union Cycliste Internationale unanimously decided to suspend all further racing for the evening and want to extend their best wishes for a speedy recovery to both riders and all affected spectators.
“We also wish to thank the medical staff for their prompt response and ongoing support. We are working closely with all parties to review the incident before taking appropriate action. No further comments will be made at this time.”
Marchant was part of the Team GB trio who broke the world record and won gold in the women’s team sprint at the Olympic Games during the summer. On a remarkable night, they smashed the world record on three separate occasions through qualifying, the semi-final and final.
Their final time of 45.186 seconds saw them edge past New Zealand by five tenths of a second. Marchant was successful alongside Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell.
“It doesn’t get much better than that. It means everything. It just shows the hard work we’ve put in,” she said of their success at the time.
“I always believed there was reward for hard work, we’ve just come together as a team and put so much work into learning how to deliver on the day and we were able to do that today.”