British rider Katy Marchant has reportedly suffered a broken arm after a dramatic crash at the UCI Track Champions League meeting in London, which led to the suspension of the remainder of Saturday’s race.
Marchant was in a collision with German rider Alessa-Catriona Pröpster in the first round of the women’s Keirin competition. Pröpster and Marchant turned right at the same time with a left-hand approach and both flew through the barriers at Lee Valley VeloPark.
The race was suspended when both women received treatment with four spectators. Eurosport’s investigative reporter Adam Blythe was able to confirm that, although the cyclists had fallen on the seating area, there were no serious injuries.
“The good news is that the GB rider” [Marchant] he’s fine,” Blythe said. “He’s got a broken arm, but he seems to be in stable condition. There were two members of the crowd that were dealing with each other and they seem to be fine as well. They’re all in good condition, although Katy Marchant broke her arm.”
Blythe also reported that Propster was injured in the accident, and that the rest of the events that took place on Friday and Saturday have been postponed. A statement from world cycling’s governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), later confirmed the cancellation.
“We can confirm that following an incident in tonight’s women’s Keirin race, the rest of the UCI Track Champions league race at Lee Valley VeloPark in London has been cancelled,” the statement read.
Statement from British Cycling posted on 10 said: “We can confirm that two riders and four spectators have received medical treatment following an incident at tonight’s UCI Track Champions League event at Lee Valley VeloPark, in London. The event took place during the Keirin Womens ‘race’.
“Medics responded immediately, transferring one rider to the hospital. WBD Sports, British cyclingLee Valley VeloPark and the UCI have unanimously decided to suspend all further racing for the evening and extend wishes for a speedy recovery to both riders and all affected spectators.
“We also want to thank the medical staff for their prompt response and ongoing support,” added British Cycling. “We are working closely with all parties to review the incident before taking appropriate action. No further comment will be made at this time.”
Marchant won Olympic gold in Paris this summer, triumphing in the team sprint alongside Sophia Capewell and Emma Finucane. The Team GB The trio went on to win the world title at Ballerup in Denmark in October.
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The London meeting of the UCI Track Champions League marked the final five stages of the event that started last month in France. Earlier on Saturday, Team GB rider Katie Archibald secured victory in the women’s endurance league, but several other events were left unfinished.
Saturday’s fall brought back memories of and similar to Matt Wallswhich took place in the same venue as the Stratford velodrome during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. That event led the venue to improve the safety surrounding the installation of the track, which was in use for the second time this weekend.