French cyclist knocked-out in HORROR Olympic mountain bike crash pictured with bandaged arm and face BUT her coach declares she will ‘come back STRONGER’
- Loana Lecomte competed for a podium finish on home soil, but crashed on the rocks
- Her head hit the ground and she was knocked unconscious before being carried out on a stretcher.
- Lecomte was seen with bandages, but her condition is said to be ‘not serious’
French cyclist Loana Lecomte suffered a serious fall during the women’s mountain bike race on Sunday.
The 24-year-old went flying over her handlebars during the descent through a technical and rocky section of the course on Elancourt Hill.
Lecomte appeared to have lost consciousness for a moment after hitting her head on the ground or a rock. Her bike then also collided with her.
Stewards and medics rushed to her aid as TV cameras covered the horrific crash. No replays of the incident were shown due to concerns for Lecomte’s welfare.
Fortunately, Lecomte’s injuries do not appear to be as serious as initially thought.
Lecomte fell hard and appeared to hit her head in a rock garden while in the second group on the course chasing down her compatriot and eventual winner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.
Lecomte was visibly shaken and appeared to be unconscious for a moment before being carried out on a stretcher
Lecomte’s coach told French television she had “facial trauma” but that her condition was ultimately “not serious”, before defiantly declaring that “she will recover and come back stronger”
She was photographed smiling after the race, with bandages on her arm and face, next to the French mountain bike coach.
Her coach told French television that the crash “ultimately will not be serious”.
He added: “She will recover and come back stronger.”
After the crash, French journalist Nicolas Georgereau posted a positive message on social media about Lecomte’s condition.
He wrote: ‘Loana Lecomte is still at the scene. She lost consciousness for a moment, but she is fine and has been treated by the medical service. No worries at the moment.’
It appears Lecomte has had a lucky escape after what initially seemed like an incredibly serious incident, walking away with head injuries and a “relatively minor jaw injury,” according to L’Equipe.
Lecomte, who was carried off the track on a stretcher as spectators chanted her name and showed their support, was strongly regarded as a favourite for a podium finish ahead of the race.
Together with her compatriot and current world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, she was part of a leading group of four riders. Already on the first lap of 4.4 km she broke away from the group of 36 riders.
Neither Lecomte nor anyone else could maintain Ferrand-Prevot’s high pace on the second lap.
Lecomte was already tipped to win a medal before the race, but the crash ended those hopes
Lecomte’s compatriot and current world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot put on a show for the home crowd on Elancourt Hill as she won her first Olympic gold medal
Behind the leading Ferrand-Prevot, a chasing group formed consisting of Lecomte Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), Laura Stigger (Austria) and Haley Batten (USA).
But Lecomte’s hopes of a silver or bronze medal were dashed in the fourth lap when she was thrown from her bike in a technical rock garden section. She remained lying down after hitting her head before being treated by medical staff and carried away.
Ferrand-Prevot won the race in dominant fashion to claim her first gold medal, with Batten taking silver and Rissveds bronze.
The men’s cross-country mountain bike race takes place on Monday and Team GB’s Tom Pidcock is the big favourite.