Vogel ‘can’t walk any more’ after injuring spine during crash

Double Olympic champion Kristina Vogel says she “can’t walk any more” after sustaining a serious spinal injury when she crashed during training in June.
The 27-year-old German was involved in a high-speed collision with another cyclist on a track in Cottbus.
Vogel, who is also a part-time police officer, won team sprint gold at London 2012 and the individual title in Rio.
“I believe that the sooner you accept a new situation, the sooner you learn to deal with it,” she told Der Spiegel.
Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, said it would “stand by Kristina in this difficult time” and expressed its “sympathy and support in a sad situation for track cycling and the sport”.
Its statement added: “This exceptional champion has also dedicated herself to our sport by working selflessly behind the scenes.
“Her determination and good humour are known and appreciated by all, and we at the UCI have no doubt that she will make full use of these remarkable qualities in her rehabilitation.”
Sir Chris Hoy, Great Britain’s six-time Olympic champion, was among members of the cycling community to send messages of support to Vogel.
Hoy called the news “devastating”, adding: “She is already one of the greatest track sprinters in history, but there was so much more to come from her. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
“I have no doubt that in the future she will find new ways to challenge herself and to achieve greatness again and in doing so continue to inspire.”
At the time of the crash, Vogel’s compatriot Maximilian Levy wrote a letter encouraging race winners in Cottbus to donate their prize money to Vogel and her family.
“We will start funding for her, her family and beloved ones, to cover their support, the transport to get her home, or her rehabilitation,” said Levy.
Vogel has won 11 world titles, and the crash in Cottbus is not the first of her career.
She was put into an artificial coma for two days in May 2009 after hitting a car during a training session. (BBC Sport)