Indian cyclist Vishavjeet Singh, who qualified for the final in the men’s 15km scratch race, made a narrow escape from the horrific crash that grabbed the spotlight at the Commonwealth Games.
The incident happened in the afternoon on Sunday when the cyclists were into their final leg of the 10-lap qualifying scratch race. Eight riders collided on the track at the Lee Valley Velo Park in London.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion Matt Walls of England suffered stitches, scrapes and bruises after crashing over the barriers. Isle of Man’s Matt Bostock and Canada’s Derek Gee were also taken to hospital following minor injuries, said an official here.
Spectators were also injured, with one being taken away in a wheelchair as cyclists and bikes flew into the crowd, said team India cycling coach Dayalram Jatt.
Narrating the incident Jatt said Vishavjeet was just behind the pack but he showed presence of mind and moved away by braking in time.
“It requires tremendous skill to brake in time in that rush of blood and he did exactly that to stop behind as bikes flew into the barriers. It was simply horrific, I never saw such an accident. We were left shaking in fear for some time,” Jatt said.
Vishavjeet, however, made sure that he reached the final for the first time in a multi-sport event.
In the final consisting of 60 laps, he was going strong but fell behind in the final lap and incurred a penalty point to be labelled “did not finish (DNF)”.
“But overall, I’m happy for Vishavjeet to have survived the crash and make the final,” the coach said.
On Sunday, Mayuri Lute finished way back in the 18th position in the women’s 500m time trial final as Indian cyclists continued to struggle. Lute clocked 36.868s to end near the bottom of the 20-cyclist final.
Earlier, top Indian cyclist Ronaldo Laitonjam lost to Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer in the pre-quarter finals of the men’s sprint event. The 20-year-old Indian finished 0.162s behind Glaetzer, clocking 10.011s over the 200m distance.
His teammates David Beckham (10.120) and Esow Alben (10.361) finished 18th and 23rd in the qualifying round.
PTI
