Joe Truman suffered a suspected broken collarbone after being wiped out in a terrifying 45mph smash in the Birmingham 2022 velodrome.
England sprinter Truman was knocked unconscious and needed oxygen treatment trackside before being evacuated from the arena in a wheelchair. The hushed 3,000 crowd, who had held their breath as medical staff crowded round the 25-year-old sprinter, burst into applause when regained consciousness and sat up.
Australian Matthew Glaetzer, whose skinsuit was ripped to shreds, also fell heavily – but he was not to blame for the smash.
BBC pundit Sir Chris Hoy, who won six Olympic golds at high speed, said: “You're racing as close as you can to the riders around you. Matt Glaetzer got boxed and went into the back of Jack Carlin and fell to the right, and Joe Truman had nowhere left to go.
"Your heart rate is at maximum and adrenalin is flowing. It is a rare thing to have such a serious crash in the velodrome than on the road when you are training.
“It is just one of those things you have to deal with and it reminds us how tough these guys are and how brave you have to be.”
Former Olympic champion Chris Boardman, commentating for the BBC, was also shocked by the crash. He said: "That's a bad crash and we are not seeing any movement from Joe Truman.
"That will stop racing for a while as they are going to have to take their time here. That is about 70km/h plus."
Truman, from Petersfield, was able to text his family from his wheelchair to let them know he was not as seriously injured as the live TV pictures initially suggested.
Glaetzer, who won Commonwealth gold at both Glasgow in 2014 and on the Gold Coast four years later, looked distraught as he surveyed the remnants of his skinsuit.
