A cyclist from the Netherlands was seriously injured during a race at the Olympics. Dutch cyclist breaks her spine in Rio

Published 08.08.16 13:26

Annemiek van Vleute suffered a triple fracture of the spine.

A video has been posted online showing the fatal fall of Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten, who was seriously injured during a group road race at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. As I wrote, 10 kilometers before the finish the athlete did not fit into the turn and fell off the bike at great speed.

The recording shows that the cyclist literally did a somersault and then hit her head on the curb.

Sportswoman intkbbee taken away by ambulance. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with a spinal fracture in three places and a concussion.

After some time, Annemik herself commented on what happened on the microblog.

"I'm in hospital now with broken bones and other injuries, but I'll be fine. Such a disappointment after the best race of my career," the 33-year-old cyclist wrote.

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten was seriously injured in a road race accident at the Rio Olympics.

The 33-year-old athlete, in a heated struggle with an American, lost control at one of the turns and crashed into the curb.

According to preliminary data, Annemiek van Vleuten has a spinal fracture in several places. Doctors will assess the severity of the injuries in the next 24 hours.

The incident occurred 9 km before the finish line; the main fight for victory was between 33-year-old van Vleuten and Mara Abbott from the USA. At one of the turns, the Dutchwoman lost control of her bike, moving at high speed on a wet surface, flew over the handlebars and fell on her back onto the curb of the track.

The athlete received a traumatic brain injury and a triple fracture of the spine; she was taken to the hospital, where doctors will conduct an additional examination of Van Vleuten, prescribe treatment and rehabilitation measures.

The Dutch Cycling Federation said rider Annemiek van Vleuten was fine. She was involved in a serious accident during a race at the 2016 Olympics. The 33-year-old athlete fought for victory with American Mara Abbott 9 kilometers before the finish. They had a gap of more than forty seconds over their pursuers. During one of the turns on wet asphalt, van Vleuten lost control and fell at high speed, flying over the steering wheel and falling backwards onto the curb.

As Reuters reports, as a result of an accident on the Olympic track, the athlete received a traumatic brain injury and a triple fracture of the spine. The 33-year-old cyclist fought for victory with American Mara Abbott. There were nine kilometers left to the finish line when the tragedy occurred. At one of the turns, the athlete lost control and flew off the bike at high speed. Annemiek van Vleuten flew over the steering wheel and fell backwards onto the curb. It is reported that the cause of the fall was wet asphalt.

In the near future, the athlete will be further examined and the complexity and severity of her injuries and wounds will be assessed. Doctors will be able to understand which direction to take and draw up a plan for full recovery.

Let us remind you that the day before the women's race, Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali was injured on this route and on the same descent. He broke both collarbones. Earlier, French gymnast Samir Ait Said suffered a serious injury during qualifying on the first day of the Olympic Games, breaking his leg after landing unsuccessfully after performing a vault.

According to physicist Diandra Lasley-Pickley, curbs can be treacherous for cyclists. In addition, the bicycle overturn could have occurred due to hitting dry markings and the rest of the tires having too little grip on the road.

This is not the first time that Annemiek van Vleuten has been involved in an accident with serious consequences. Last year she broke her ribs and collarbone after a training accident with a car in Italy.

She later tweeted that she "will be fine" and thanked her colleagues for their condolences.

Annemiek van Vleuten
“I’m in the hospital now with a few bruises and broken bones, but I’ll be fine. Mostly very upset after the best race of my career."

At the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a cyclist from the Netherlands broke her spine. During the race, the 33-year-old Annemiek van Vleuten I didn’t fit into the turn and fell off my bike at great speed.

The Dutch cyclist was seriously injured at the Rio 2016 Olympics literally 10 kilometers before the finish line. During a group road race, a cyclist was unable to negotiate a sharp turn, hit the road curb and fell off to the side of the road. A videographer standing nearby captured the incident. The fall was also recorded by a camera mounted on a motorcycle following Annemiek. In the video you can see that the athlete did a somersault and hit her head on the curb, but the worst thing was a fracture of the spine.

Arriving doctors examined the victim and then took her to the hospital in an ambulance. After examination, Annemiek van Vleuten was diagnosed with a triple fracture of the spine and a concussion. The athlete herself, judging by her message on Twitter, is disappointed, but remains optimistic. She posted on social media: “Now I’m in the hospital with fractures and other injuries, but I’ll be fine. Such a disappointment after the best race of my career.”

According to some information, the cause of the fall of the athlete from the Netherlands could have been wet asphalt. On a sharp turn she simply skidded and could not control the steering. Doctors, meanwhile, claim that van Vleuten is in a stable condition and her life is not in danger. It is also worth noting that this is not the first incident at the Rio Olympics. Just a day before this incident, on the same track, Italian athlete Vincenzo Nibali broke both collarbones, and Colombian Sergio Henao fell from his bike and suffered a broken pelvis. A French gymnast broke his leg after landing poorly during a vault.

Dutch cyclist broke her spine in a fall at the 2016 Olympics in Rio video

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