Victoria Williamson to be flown home after successful surgery following crash in Holland
Norfolk cyclist Victoria Williamson. Photo: Steve Adams
Victoria Williamson is set to be flown home from Holland tomorrow following successful surgery on injuries she suffered in a crash during a race at the weekend.
The 22-year-old, originally from Hevingham, will be flown back to her home in Manchester via a medical evacuation – after suffering a fractured pelvis and vertebrae and a severe cut to her right side during a sprint heat at the Rotterdam Six-Day event on Saturday night.
Williamson's father, Mark, said: 'We just want to thank our friends and family for the support, and for all the texts and messages on Twitter from all over the world, it's been unbelievable.'
Williamson suffered her injuries in a collision with Dutch rival Elis Ligtlee, with racing at Rotterdam's Zesdaagse cancelled and spectators asked to leave the velodrome following the crash.
Williamson now faces a lengthy recuperation period, with her father adding it was too early to say if the former Norwich High School for Girls pupil would be fit for selection for the Olympics, which begin in Rio in August.
'She's made of tough stuff and the long-term prognosis health-wise is good but we are talking about a long, long road to recovery,' Mr Williamson added.
You may also want to watch:
The Olympic hopeful won silver in the team sprint and bronze in the individual sprint at the UEC Under-23 and Junior European Track Championships in Athens last July.
She was also part of the British team which won bronze in the team sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Minsk in 2013.
Most Read
- 1 Builder took pink pill and ran naked around hotel
- 2 Fire tears through historic Thorpe pub
- 3 Four national high street names to move into former M&S store
- 4 Mass coronavirus vaccination centre opens in Norwich today
- 5 Stunning images capture Cromer in the snow
- 6 Store open despite positive Covid test at town centre Sainsbury's
- 7 Vaccines roll-out to move on to over 70s
- 8 Delays as 23m-long caravan travels through Norfolk
- 9 Norfolk to get rapid Covid test sites - to find people without symptoms
- 10 Vandals leave £80,000 trail of destruction in car park