English cyclist Joe Truman thanks well-wishers from hospital

‘I was enjoying my mid-race snooze!’ English cyclist Joe Truman thanks well-wishers from hospital and vows to ‘be back soon’ after horrific 45mph crash at Commonwealth Games which left him unconscious and with a broken collarbone

• Cyclist Joe Truman was knocked unconscious during the Commonwealth Games keirin semi-final yesterday
• The 25-year-old suffered a major head trauma and also sustained a broken collarbone in the collision 
• Truman was attended to by medics and taken to hospital after he regained consciousness following the crash
• Tonight, he thanked well-wishers with a selfie taken from his hospital bed, accompanied by his girlfriend 

England cyclist Joe Truman thanked fans for their well-wishes after being knocked unconscious following a horrific crash when riding at 45mph in the keirin, as his old housemate Jack Carlin went on to win a silver for Scotland.

The sportsman, 25, who suffered a broken collarbone in the collision, was sent flying on the final lap of the keirin semi-final after riding into Australian Matthew Glaetzer, who had tumbled to the deck in front of him during the race yesterday. 

The athlete has now updated his fans tonight on Twitter, sharing a bloodied selfie from hospital with his girlfriend by his side. 

Truman, who was smiling in the picture, joked he was ‘enjoying [his] little mid-race snooze,’ and vowed to return to the sport once his shoulder is fixed. 

Truman had nowhere to go when Glaetzer touched wheels with Carlin in the second round of the event yesterday, sending the Englishman flying straight over the top of the Aussie at 45mph before slamming into the hard flooring.

England cyclist Joe Truman thanked fans for their well-wishes after being knocked unconscious following a horrific crash when riding at 45mph in the keirin, as his old housemate Jack Carlin went on to win a silver for Scotland yesterday

The sportsman vowed to return to the sport once he’s recovered from his injuries, and kept spirits light by joking he had a ‘mid-race snooze’

‘Thanks for all the well-wishes after yesterdays crash, was enjoying my little mid-race snooze! Will get this shoulder fixed and be back soon,’ the cyclist wrote in a Tweet shared this evening. 

A picture showed the sportsman in his hospital bed, smiling to the camera in spite of a bloody nose and scratches to the face. 

The athlete was in good hands, with his girlfriend Freya Knight seen smiling at his side. 

Many fans replied to his tweet with further well-wishes.

‘Great to see you smiling. Was pleased I could help your family as a volunteer into the athletes area to check on you,’ one wrote. 

‘You were brilliant! Thank you so much for going above and beyond,’ another said.  

Truman had nowhere to go when Glaetzer touched wheels with Carlin in the second round of the event yesterday, sending the Englishman flying straight over the top of the Aussie at 45mph before slamming into the hard flooring

Fans, including British Olympic athlete Sharron Davies, sent their well-wishes to Joe on Twitter after he shared the reassuring update

Olympic champion Sharron Davies MBE was also among the fans sending their sympathies to Truman, saying: ‘Get well soon.’

The 25-year-old initially lay motionless on the infield of the velodrome as medical staff rushed to his aid.

Upon regaining consciousness, the stricken rider was helped away in a wheelchair receiving oxygen and transferred to hospital for treatment on his collarbone and head scans.

It is the just the latest setback for a rider who spent the last two years battling back problems, ruling him out of contention for the Tokyo Olympics.

Olympic cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy described the impact of the fall as ‘about as big as you can get in cycling’.

‘It reminds us how tough these guys are and how brave you have to be,’ he said. 

Joe, pictured left, was knocked unconscious after colliding with Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer at around 45mph during yesterday’s race

The 25-year-old Truman was attended to by medics and taken to hospital after the crash for a broken collarbone and head trauma

Matthew Glaetzer of Team Australia and Joe Truman of Team England crash during the Men’s Track Cycling Keirin Second Round Heat One on day two of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Lee Valley Velopark Velodrome on July 30, 2022

This is the moment Truman slammed into the wooden banking of the velodrome at 45mph

Joe Truman of Team England is taken away by medics after a crash in the Men’s Keirin on day two of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

After receiving treatment for medics as he lay unconscious, a shaken Truman gestures to the applauding crowd as he is wheeled out of the velodrome and taken to hospital

Joe Truman is pictured holding his medal after winning silver in the Men’s Team Sprint on day one of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Friday July 29, 2022

Truman was motionless as he slid down the bank, with the crowd falling silent and medics rushing to his aid. After an agonising wait, Truman finally sat up and received a huge cheer inside the velodrome.

Truman was given an oxygen mask and pushed away in a wheelchair before being driven to hospital.

Carlin, meanwhile, had managed to stay on his bike to qualify for the final, where he finished behind Nicholas Paul, a shock winner from Trinidad and Tobago.

‘It’s not easy seeing your pal lying on the ground like that,’ said Carlin, who won world silver with Truman in the team sprint in 2018. ‘There’s nothing worse than watching your mate crash.

‘He’s a team-mate and I lived with him for a long time. Fortunately, he got up and is moving around, but he took a good hit to his head.’

‘Joe’s had many issues with injuries throughout his career, but he’s very strong-willed. I don’t know if I could have come back from the things that he’s come back from,’ Carlin continued in reference to Truman’s back injury which ruined his Tokyo Olympics campaign.

‘This is just another hiccup in the road for Joe… Hopefully it’s not too serious, he’ll be back on the bike again in a matter of weeks and he’s got a lot to aim for – (next year) we’ve the Nations Cup, the world championships in Glasgow and the Paris Olympics – he’s got time on his side and, knowing Joe, he will be back stronger than ever.’ 

Carlin could also not hide his own disappointment at missing out on winning his first major international title. The 25-year-old claimed a silver and bronze at last year’s Olympics, having also won a silver at the last Commonwealth Games.

‘I’m obviously disappointed,’ said Carlin. ‘It’s another silver and I came here for gold. As much as medals are nice, there’s only one you really want. Time will tell if I can get a gold or not.’

Carlin’s silver followed a bronze for his Scottish team mate Neah Evans in the women’s individual pursuit. Welshwoman Emma Finucane beat England’s Sophie Capewell to bronze in the sprint.

‘It’s not easy seeing your pal lying on the ground like that,’ said Jack Carlin of Scotland, who won world silver with Truman in the team sprint in 2018. ‘There’s nothing worse than watching your mate crash’

Team GB legend Sir Chris Hoy called the crash ‘about as big as you can get in cycling’

Joe Truman of Team England crashes into Matthew Glaetzer of Team Australia during the Men’s Keirin second round on day two of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Joe Truman of Team England is taken away by medics after a crash in the Men’s Keirin

After two days on the track, England are yet to win a gold medal, although Laura Kenny rides in the points race today and scratch race tomorrow.

However, when asked what her chances were of glory, the five-time Olympic champion said: ‘Slim to none. I’ll turn up and hope for the best.’

Meanwhile, an English para-cyclist has been fined for her efforts to claim a medal.

Sophie Unwin has been fined £172 for her protest against the decision not to award her a bronze medal on Friday — despite organisers apologising for causing her ‘distress’.

The 28-year-old finished third in Friday’s tandem B sprint after beating Scotland’s Libby Clegg in what was called the bronze medal race.

Unwin was in tears when she was told later that she would not receive a gong because there were only four entries in her event and rules state only gold and silver will be issued in such cases.

England’s Sophie Unwin(right) was fined for protesting the decision not to award her a bronze medal after she finished third in the Tandem B Sprint

During the medal ceremony, Unwin and her pilot Georgia Holt held up an England flag behind the podium before being asked to move by security.

They later climbed on the podium to pose for photographs wearing borrowed bronze medals.

Cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, stated the punishment was for ‘failure to respect the instructions of the organiser’.

Birmingham Games organisers said: ‘We apologise to the athletes involved for the inadvertent distress this has caused.’

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