An Olympic mountain biker suffered a serious fall Sunday after flying over the handlebars in a crash captured on video.
Loana Lecomte experienced a crash during the Mountain Bike Cross Country final held at Élancourt Hill near Paris. The incident, which was captured in a viral video, occurred as Lecomte was navigating a steep descent. She encountered a snag that caused her to flip over the handlebars and hit the ground hard, rendering her momentarily motionless.
Loana Lecomte, cycliste française de VTT Cross-country aux JO, a fait une chute impressionnante et a du être évacuée😱#Paris2024 #ceremoniedouverture pic.twitter.com/vVr9vGGThv
— c’est qui le patron ? (@timbaetpoumon) July 28, 2024
The cyclist following her narrowly swerved to avoid a collision as Lecomte fell hard, appearing seriously injured. The event momentarily held the breath of spectators and viewers alike as the cameras eventually cut away from the scene. Subsequent footage taken by a bystander showed that Lecomte was carefully stretchered off the course amid applause from the crowd. (RELATED: Olympics Opening Ceremony Goes Viral Because Everyone Is Like ‘WTF Even Is This?’)
Later updates were more reassuring, as photographs showed her standing upright, albeit with her face bandaged, alongside her coach, according to TMZ. This indicated that, despite the severity of the crash, Lecomte’s injuries were managed and she was in stable condition. The French mountain biker was competing in her second Olympics.
Le public applaudit pour l’évacuation de Loana Lecomte #VTT #JeuxOlympiques https://t.co/kC1U1gIVKZ pic.twitter.com/pRjtbZeUnS
— Victor CLOT-AMIOT (@VictorClotAmiot) July 28, 2024
She had finished sixth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the same event, TMZ reported. She was performing well and was in third place at the time of her accident. This setback means she might have to wait until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles for another chance at Olympic glory.