First the ruff, then straight to the clinic: The pictures of the mass fall at the track cycling championships suggest the worst. The Italian Letizia Paternoster is seriously injured, but is already sending positive news from her sickbed.
According to the national association, Italian Letizia Paternoster, who was injured in a serious mass fall at the European Track Cycling Championships in Munich, will not suffer any permanent damage. The 23-year-old world champion suffered a traumatic brain injury and broke her right collarbone, Italy's cycling federation said the day after the crash. The athlete was always conscious, but could not remember the accident, "which is normal in such a case," the message said. She spent the night in the hospital.
"I'm trying to smile and think about the big goals I have ahead of me," Paternoster wrote on Instagram alongside a bedside selfie. Her collarbone was broken in three places, she reported. "I will be back soon."
Paternoster fell with four competitors during the elimination race. In elimination driving, the last person in the field has to leave the race every two laps. The accident happened in the steep corner after the home stretch, where the drivers collided with each other. While the four other athletes were able to get up again after a short treatment, the world champion in this discipline received medical treatment behind a screen for a long time. The 23-year-old was put on a neck brace. She was then taken out of the hall on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
The race was interrupted for first aid and track repairs. Previously, there had already been a crash involving several people in the same race. However, this went smoothly. All drivers were able to leave the wooden oval independently. Ireland's Alice Sharpe was involved in both crashes but restarted on both restarts.
