Hoskins OK After Heavy Training Crash
WA track cyclist Melissa Hoskins has returned to the Olympic Village after being released from hospital following a training crash on the Olympic Velodrome on Day 3 ahead of the women’s team pursuit competition set for action on Thursday (Friday Perth time) in Brazil.
A statement from the Australian Olympic Committee earlier read:
The women’s team pursuit crashed during training on the Rio Olympic Velodrome.
The five woman team of Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Amy Cure, Annette Edmondson and Melissa Hoskins were doing a training effort at race speed when the crash happened today (Monday 8 August).
Edmondson was leading the team into turn three at the end of the back straight and she stayed on her bike but her four teammates did not.
Ankudinoff, Baker and Cure walked off the track and are being treated for track friction burns and bruises. Hoskins was stretchered off the track as a precaution and has been taken to hospital for assessment.
Hoskins has since been released from hospital and returned to the Athletes’ Village issuing the following statements through the AOC.
“I remember the whole thing, I had nowhere to go, straight over the handle bars and landed heavy on my side, and uncomfortably,” said Hoskins as she left the hospital to return to the Olympic Athletes Village.
“For those watching it would have been spectacular. We certainly weren’t on a Sunday stroll, we were doing high speed race pace efforts now we are this close to competition,” Hoskins explained.
“So when you crash at those speeds it is never nice especially when four come down, but I am counting us very lucky.”
“For me, we will take it day by day, it will be a case of seeing how I go,” Hoskins added. “It is obviously quite painful, but you can only throw caution to the wind and hope luck is on my side.
“I am staying positive. After four years of hard work, you don’t want to give up when you are this close.
“We will be OK. Luckily we have four girls who are firing and who will fly the flag if I can’t.”
Australian Track Cycling Team Leader said:
“I am not going to lie, no one wants to see that happen. It is not something we plan for but we do plan to respond to these sorts of things,” he said.
“As a team, this team is a bunch of fighters, the staff are a bunch of fighters, as soon as that crash happened, they were already thinking what we need to do next.
“They (the team) are in the right mindsets, they know they have to get on with the job.”
“There is no sure thing in cycling – there are those who have fallen off their bikes, and there are those who are about to,” added Tabotta. “These girls have fallen off their bikes before.
“Falls are part of the sport, you have to move on.”
At 7:04am Perth time the AOC tweeted: “On her way back to the Village @MelissaMHoskins is bruised but still smiling after Velodrome training crash.”
Hoskins will continue to be monitored by Australian Team medical staff, whilst decisions on the make-up of the Australian women’s team pursuit squad will be made on the day of competition.
Rio is Hoskins’ second Olympic campaign, having made her debut in the women’s team pursuit in London with the team finishing fourth.