Aussie BMX star in stable condition after surgery following crash

AUSTRALIAN BMX star Sam Willoughby has undergone surgery and is in a stable condition in a US hospital after being airlifted from the track following a training crash in San Diego.

BMX rider Sam Willoughby ... has had surgery after being injured in a training mishap.. Picture: Richard Gosling

AUSTRALIAN BMX star Sam Willoughby has undergone surgery and is in a stable condition in a US hospital after being airlifted from the track following a training crash in San Diego.

Willoughby was training at his regular base at Chula Vista yesterday when, according to officials, he ‘looped out’, meaning he came off the back of his bike and is believed to have landed on his back.

The 25-year-old Olympic silver medallist and multiple world champion was treated by medical staff at the track, which is run by USA Cycling.

According to officials, he was conscious and able to move his arms as he was taken to hospital by helicopter where it was decided he needed surgery.

The exact details of his injuries or the surgery are yet to be known.

His mother, Sharon, spoke to Willoughby before he had surgery and she flew from Adelaide to the US last night.

It is believed that Willoughby’s fiancee, Olympic silver medallist in Rio Alise Post, was not at the track at the time of his training accident.

Willoughby finished sixth in the men’s final at the Rio Olympics last month and was back in the US preparing for the final world cups of 2016 and the rest of the US season.

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