Australia’s men’s cycling team pursuit has been rocked by a freak accident after Alex Porter’s handlebars snapped off his bike mid-race, sending him crashing face-first into the velodrome.
Porter lost some skin off his face as he eventually glided to a stop on the polished wood at Izu Velodrome before miraculously dusting himself off and walking from the arena.
The Aussie was caught by cameras muttering to himself in frustration over the mechanical error, as the rest of his teammates rode on.
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The Australian team were eventually offered a re-ride by officials, with Porter suiting up again and climbing back on his bike around 30-minutes later.
At the time of the crash, Porter was at the back of the four-man team, a quarter of the way through the 4km race.
Australia was regarded as one of the favourites ahead of the event but ultimately ended up qualifying fifth-fastest, behind Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and Great Britain. They will miss out on a chance to contest a medal.
Porter was reportedly seen in tears after the second race.
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