A horror crash took place on Sunday at the Commonwealth Games track cycling event, causing Matt Walls to fly into the crowd.
A massive pile-up of riders at the Lee Valley VeloPark occurred during the men’s scratch race second heat in qualifying on day three of Birmingham 2022. Walls, who required medical attention and was later taken to hospital, was confirmed by Team England late on Sunday to be “alert and talking, as he has been throughout”.
Matt Bostock of the Isle of Man was also involved in the accident, and was taken away on a stretcher to a round of applause from spectators. A member of the crowd was taken away in a wheelchair covered in blood, while a young girl received treatment for a cut to her arm.
Screens were eventually put up around the area in which Walls was being treated.
It is the second major crash in as many days, after Joe Truman was knocked out cold and suffered a suspected broken collarbone in a 70 km/h smash at the velodrome. The rest of the session at the velodrome was soon abandoned, and the venue was cleared. Only one extra sprint race was scheduled before a break.
There were not enough riders left upright at the end of the race for the result to stand.
Sir Chris Hoy urged the sport’s governing body to implement changes to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s crash. “These are fairly rare accidents – it’s a big one, a direct result of not having some form of barrier,” Hoy told BBC Sport. “Maybe half a dozen times in the last 20 years; maybe a perspex screen, like in ice hockey, to protect the crowd.
“Matt went over the top – I didn’t want to see it, but I’ve seen a shot of it and it’s horrendous. Nobody wants to see that happen. All you can do is learn from this. I hope that the people in power look at this and prevent something very serious happening in the future.”
A statement from British Cycling shortly after the accident read: “Following a crash in the men’s scratch, Matt Walls and Matt Bostock are being treated by medics before being taken to hospital for further treatment. We send our best wishes to the riders and spectators involved in the incident, and will provide a further update when we can.”
Team England added: “Following a crash in the cycling men’s scratch race, Matt Walls has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks. We send our best wishes to the riders and spectators involved in the incident, and will provide a further update when we can.”
