Olympian disqualified after 'headbutting' Team GB athlete and ending medal chances
A Team GB star has said he felt like a 'crash test dummy' after being denied an Olympic medal following a cyclist 'headbutting' him.
Dutch cyclist Jan-Willem van Schip has been disqualified and fined after crashing into Team GB's Oliver Wood during the 200-lap Olympic cycling Madison event.
The 28-year-old British cyclist was taken down, leaving his teammate Mark Stewart struggling to gain momentum for the remainder of the race.
van Schip tried to surpass Wood on the right side but misjudged it massively, cutting off the Brit.
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It then appeared as though van Schip intentionally used his head with force as he slammed into Wood, which resulted in costing Team GB a chance at the podium, and sent Wood crashing to the ground.
The incident occurred with 40 laps to go, meaning there was little Stewart could really do to bring it back from Team GB.
Ignoring the severity of the incident, the Dutch cyclist was able to carry on without a penalty, whilst Wood was left on the track.
He did attempt to get back on the bike and complete the race, but the crash had completely thrown off his form.
Despite hoping to secure a podium position, the British duo placed 12th, whilst the Netherlands managed to come 7th.
There's an incident in the cycling involving Great Britain 💥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 10, 2024
Ollie Wood is down in the men's madison final after a collision with a Dutch rider - thankfully he seems OK afterwards 😬#Olympics #Paris2024 #BBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/21hcJ3FxZn
Portugal claimed the gold medal, Italy took silver, and Denmark were awarded bronze.
And whilst there wasn't a penalty given during the race, the Dutch cyclists didn't exactly get away with the incident.
After the race, an official release from the Olympic committee stated: "Following the review of an incident during the Men's Madison, Team 6; Netherlands, have been disqualified under article 1.10,008 point 8.1."
The rule states that cyclists shouldn't endanger each other, which could lead to a team's disqualification if the rule is broken.
The Netherlands were also fined 1,000 CHF (equal to £900) for the offence.
Wood addressed the incident following the race, and it's safe to say he wasn't best pleased.
He said: "Say what you want. I didn’t see anything. I have no clue, absolutely no clue.
"All I know is I got hit really hard from behind by literally the biggest rider on the track.
“I don’t know what I have done but my knee really hurts and my a*** really hurts. "He hit me so hard. I felt like a crash test dummy.
"I am alright, I will survive. I will live to fight another day."
Mia Williams