US Olympic BMX Rider Brooke Crain Crashes

US Olympic BMX Rider Brooke Crain Crashes, The cruel irony of Brooke Crain laying on the gravel of the Olympic BMX course was that a crash involving a teammate is what allowed her to be there. The 19-year-old Crain was a late substitute for Arielle Martin, whose devastating fall during practice on July 30 left her in the hospital. Crain ended up joining the five-rider U.S. team headed for the London Games, and was making her seeding run Wednesday when disaster struck.


Crain was poised to post one of the fastest times when she turned onto the final straight, and a bobble on one of the gravel hills sent her flying over her handle bars. Her chest slammed into the next hill and Crain lay there for about a minute while volunteers ran out to check on her.

She eventually got up and slowly rode across the finish line.

“I’m feeling fine,” Crain said about 90 minutes later. “I got the wind knocked out of me and a bit of a bruised thigh, but I’m feeling fine.”

Crain was given the final seed, which is used to determine the start list and gate selection for the semifinals. In the women’s competition, there are two semifinals with eight riders in each.

Crain was already dealing with some pain after cracking her right humerus bone – the large bone in the upper arm – during a crash at the world championships in May. She has been doing rehab ever since, and proclaimed it good enough to compete in London.

“My expectations are obviously to get on that podium and get a medal,” Crain said recently. “I’ve been on the podium before, and it’s been against every girl out here.”