Olympic Games 2024: Games rocked by horrific incident, Australian praised for breathtaking behavior towards lame horse

There were confrontational scenes in the Olympic Games in Paris on Sunday when French mountain biker Loana Lecomte lost consciousness after a horrific fall, while Australia’s medal chances in equestrian were ruined when one of the horses was injured. Lecomte went into the race as one of the favorites for gold and was in bronze medal position when the accident happened.

The French competitor was thrown over the handlebars of her bike after she came loose on the rocky downhill terrain and remained motionless for several seconds. Out of respect for Lecomte, who suffered some nasty cuts and scratches on her face, the scene was cut out on television.

“That was a brutal crash for Loana Lecomte,” commentator Scott McGrory said on Channel 9. “Over the handlebars, down the rocky cascade. She was just moving very slowly. Hopefully she’s OK.”

Commentator Sophie Smith, who was present at the event, reported that Lecomte had been taken to hospital but was conscious. “As far as I know, Leona was taken off the track. We don’t yet know the full extent of her injuries,” Smith said.

It later emerged that Lecomte had not suffered any serious injuries, but did suffer some nasty facial wounds. “She was one of the big favorites,” Smith said. “There were a lot of French spectators here today to see her and Pauline (Ferrand Prevot, who won gold).”

“They were hoping to finish first and second on the podium. The French fans… every time they came through in the early laps, you could hear the volume go up.”

French President Emmanuel Macron was one of many to send their congratulations to Lecomte following the horrific accident. A spokesman for the French team said the 24-year-old suffered a concussion and “facial trauma”, although it was “ultimately not serious”. French outlet The team added that she had a “relatively minor jaw injury” and was later seen bandaged and smiling next to one of her trainers.

Australian rider praised for brilliant effort with lame horse

Disaster also struck for Australia in the cross country riding competition when Kevin McNab decided to withdraw his horse Don Quidam from the race after feeling that his horse, which won the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo three years ago, might be lame. McNab’s decision to withdraw Don Quidam from the race proved to be the right one when the team veterinarian found that the horse had suffered a soft tissue injury.

A full recovery is expected, but it was a major setback for the Australian team. “The horse was doing really well but he landed a little awkwardly in the last water and I felt it when he came back out,” McNab said. “In the horse’s best interests I decided to stop him.”

This meant that the Australian trio had no chance of winning a medal in their traditionally strong discipline. However, McNab received a lot of praise because the animal’s welfare was his top priority.

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Chris Burton, the last of the three Australians to jump, admitted to having mixed feelings after riding Shadow Man with an excellent, clear round to secure third place in the individual rankings. On Monday, the 42-year-old will compete in his strongest discipline – show jumping.

“It’s a nerve-racking sport, isn’t it?” said Burton. “We turned up here with three really good riders on three very good horses. And when our trailblazer (Shane Rose on Virgil) went off and ran so well, you couldn’t help but be a little bit excited. I’m sitting here feeling kind of happy but with mixed feelings because I’m so devastated for our colleague Kev and his beautiful horse – and hopefully the horse is OK.”

with agencies