Watch: Cyclist Matt Walls flies into crowd and injures spectators during Commonwealth Games 2022
The men’s scratch at Commonwealth Games 2022 was underway, with the second qualifying heat taking place. A horrific incident unfolded, where Matt Walls flew over the barriers and into the crowd. The […]
SHARE
Aug 1, 2022 11:59 am
Matt Walls (Image source- Twitter)
The men’s scratch at Commonwealth Games 2022 was underway, with the second qualifying heat taking place. A horrific incident unfolded, where Matt Walls flew over the barriers and into the crowd. The crash saw spectators getting injured. A man got a cut on his arm and a young girl also needed attention.
Walls was hospitalized along with his contemporaries Matt Bostock and Derek Gee. They were taken to the hospital in an ambulance. The health of the athletes became more important and it was given full focus. The Medical staff were checking on the status of other riders. As a result, one remaining sprint race was cancelled. The accident sent chills down everyone’s spine. A cascading effect unfolded due to the accident as other cyclists had to change their lane but failed in their desperate attempts.
Walls, a 24-year-old Olympic Omnium champion, tried desperately to avoid the crash lower down the banking, but he rode up and went to the top which caused injuries to him and also to the spectators. For causing the initial crash, Canada’s Mathias Guillemette was disqualified from the race. Bostock also had undergone a CT scan and is being assessed to ensure that he does not have any other injuries and that he is safe and sound on all counts.
A Birmingham 2022 spokesperson said, “Following a crash at the morning session of track and para track cycling at the Lee Valley VeloPark, three cyclists and two spectators have been treated by the onsite medical team. The three cyclists have been taken to hospital. The two spectators did not require hospital treatment. We would like to send our best wishes to the cyclists and spectators involved in this incident and to thank the medical team for their swift action”
British Cycling gave an update about Walls via Twitter. “Following medical treatment in hospital, Matt Walls has been discharged with stitches in his forehead, but thankfully no major injuries. Our best wishes go to all riders and spectators involved in the crash and thanks go to the medical teams for their expert care,” said British Cycling.
