'I was knocked down in one go': Lorena Wiebes on severe fall at Track Cycling World Championships

Wiebes got caught in the crossfire between Lara Gillespie and Elisa Balsamo, causing her to suddenly end up on the ground before she knew it. “I just watched the footage from our cameraman. And actually, I was just hit in the side, and it looks like our handlebars got tangled or something,” said Wiebes.

"But as far as I could tell, I was just holding my line and focusing on the girls who were actually coming up from behind to move into position. And then, all of a sudden, I was knocked down," sighs Wiebes, who was licking her wounds—both literally and figuratively.

"I didn't break anything, but it feels like a bowling ball hit me in the ribs. So, of course, that doesn't feel very good," Wiebes sighs, already covered in bandages. “Yeah, my knees are pretty scraped up. My ribs and shoulder are sore, but I think it’s not too bad.”

"Fortunately, we were able to take some scans right away. And they show that, thankfully, nothing is broken. Then, of course, we had to clean the wound, because some dirt had gotten in. Luckily, there weren't any actual splinters, so that's a relief," she sums up.

Her Omnium is over, though. “I knew right away it was over, because I knew I couldn’t get back on the bike like that. So, of course, that really sucks,” said Wiebes, who had already won gold in the Scratch event in China.

"Things are still okay for now. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes over the next few hours. Of course, I would have liked to show what I'm capable of. Look, if I’d made a big mistake myself, it would have been a different story, but I don’t really feel like I made any specific mistake that would have allowed me to avoid this crash or anything like that.”

She’ll also be competing in the madison on Saturday. “Nothing’s been decided yet. I think we’ll have to see how things go throughout the day. And I’ll have to see if I can maybe do a light ride on the rollers,” she says, putting off that decision for now.