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3 months ago
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French cyclist Loana Lecomte suffered an awful crash during the women's cross-country mountain bike race on Sunday.
The 24-year-old flew over her handlebars while descending through a technical and rocky section of the course at Elancourt Hill.
Lecomte looked to have momentarily lost consciousness after hitting her head on the floor or a rock. Her bike then also knocked into her.
Stewards and medics rushed to help her as TV cameras cut away from the horror crash. No replays of the incident were shown given the concern for Lecomte’s wellbeing.
Fortunately, Lecomte's injuries appear not to be quite as serious as first suspected.
Lecomte crashed heavily and appeared to hit her head in a rock garden while in the second group on the course chasing down compatriot and eventual winner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
Lecomte was visibly shaken and appeared to fall briefly unconscious before being stretchered
Lecomte's coach told French TV that she had 'facial trauma' but that in the end her condition would 'not be serious' before defiantly declaring that 'she will recover and come back stronger'
She was pictured smiling after the race with bandages on her arm and face alongside the French mountain bike coach.
Her coach told French TV the crash 'will not be serious in the end'.
He added: 'She will recover and come back stronger.'
After the crash, French journalist Nicolas Georgereau posted on social media to provide a positive update on Lecomte's condition.
He wrote: 'Loana Lecomte is still on site. She lost consciousness for a moment but she is fine and was taken care of by the medical service. No worries at this stage.'
It seems Lecomte has had a lucky escape after what initially appeared to be an incredibly serious incident. She has walked away with head trauma and a 'relatively minor jaw injury' according to L'Equipe.
Lecomte, who was stretchered off the course while spectators chanted her name and offered their support, was strongly considered a pre-race favourite for a podium spot.
She was part of an early lead group of four with her compatriot and current world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, that broke clear of the 36-rider pack on the first 4.4km lap.
Neither Lecomte nor anyone else for that matter could hold Ferrand-Prevot's high-tempo on the second lap though.
Lecomte was widely tipped to win a medal before the race but the crash crushed those hopes
Lecomte' compatriot and the current world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot put on a show for the home crowd at Elancourt Hill as she romped away to claim her first Olympic gold medal
A chasing group emerged behind the leading Ferrand-Prevot comprised of Lecomte Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), Laura Stigger (Austria) and Haley Batten (USA).
But Lecomte's hopes of a silver or bronze medal were ended on lap four as she was thrown from her bike in a technical rock garden section. She stayed down after hitting her head before being attended to by medical personnel and stretchered away.
Ferrand-Prevot went on to win the race in dominant fashion to claim her first gold medal. Batten took silver and Rissveds the bronze.
The men's cross-country mountain bike race is set to take place on Monday with Team GB's Tom Pidcock a strong favourite.
English (US)