Track sprinter Kwesi Browne is “walking and talking” after appearing to fall unconscious following a crash inside the velodrome at the Paris Olympics, his team manager has said.
The 30-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago collided with another rider at speed in a keirin repechage on Saturday night, and was propelled into the wooden boards. He then slid down the banking, appearing to have lost consciousness, and lay on the apron at the bottom of the track, where he was quickly treated by medical staff.
The racing inside the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome was briefly suspended while Browne was lifted onto a stretcher and taken out of the track centre. As he was wheeled away, he lifted his hands to remove his gloves, an act that brought cheers from the crowd.
In an update issued later in the evening, Browne’s team manager, Rowena Williams, said the track sprinter had not suffered any major injuries.
“He’s fine. The medical team here at the velodrome did a wonderful job in taking care of him,” Williams said. “They did some quick X-rays to make sure that there were no broken bones, no major injuries to his head. Kwesi is fine.
“He’s walking and he’s talking, so we just want to continue to thank everybody for their support, and to continue to support Nicholas [Paul] as he goes through to the finals.”
Moments after the crash, Browne left the track centre in a neck brace, with significant grazing visible down the right side of his body, to his leg, hip and elbow.
He is now out of the men’s keirin competition, which will continue with the quarterfinals on Sunday at 10:29am UK time. The final will take place at 12:32pm UK time.
Browne’s crash was one of a handful that happened inside the velodrome on Saturday. In the men’s Madison, there were multiple collisions, the worst of which involved Team GB’s Ollie Wood, who was struck from behind by another rider.
“He hit me so hard,” Wood told the media afterwards. The 28-year old was checked trackside by medical staff and allowed to finish the event.
“I felt like a crash test dummy,” he said. “When you are not active in the race, if a crash happens in front of you, you can see it and your body will react, instincts will kick in. I was totally relaxed, untensed on the bike. I’m alright. I will survive.”
