Elite mountain biker Remy Morton opens up about horror injury that could have claimed his life in Belgium
Mountain bike prodigy Remy Morton was 19 when he hit the ground at a speed of 75km/hour, leaving him with injuries doctors said were consistent with someone who had fallen off a three-storey building.
Local sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- GOLD COAST RUGBY UNION 2020 TEAM OF THE SEASON
- SUN BOWL XXXVI: STINGRAYS GO TWO-FROM-THREE IN STATE FINALS
GOLD Coast mountain bike prodigy Remy Morton’s two-wheeled exploits have earned him mythical status in the mountain biking world but nothing about Morton is make believe.
It’s somewhat of a miracle Morton, 22, is riding mountain bikes.
In 2017, a then 19-year-old Morton had been riding gigantic dirt jumps in Belgium between rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, living the dream lifestyle of an up-and-coming semi-professional rider.
And then, he came crashing down to earth.
STREAKERS, DRY-HUMPERS AND BEERS THAT TASTE LIKE S***: FUNNIEST YARNS OF 2020
‘FUTURE OF WOMEN’S CRICKET’: GOLD COAST GIRL GUNS
POOLE’S BIZARRE INJURY AHEAD OF IRONMAN SERIES START
Morton had an accident which doctors said was consistent with someone who had fallen off a three-storey building.
He hit the ground at a speed of 75km/h.
Immediately after the impact, Morton stood up and told everyone he was fine.
Then his hip dislocated and he collapsed.
That’s when his breathing became laboured and his friends realised he wouldn’t be getting up.
THE INJURY
THE crash left Morton with all sorts of problems.
He had a multitude of broken bones and a gruesome list of other complications – his lungs had completely separated from his rib cage and needed to be flushed regularly to keep them clear of infection.
This went on for four weeks while the doctors kept Morton in a coma until he was ready to come out.
“It’s really weird because I have seen the video of it but I can’t remember doing it,” Morton said.
“I remember taking off on the jump and that’s it. I continued living in a dream and I thought I did all this stuff in the six weeks of sleeping that merged into reality when I woke up from the coma.”
Morton’s parents, Lisa and Jim Morton, were two days into a month-long holiday at Perisher in the NSW Snowy Mountains when the accident happened. They got the first available flight to Europe to be by their son’s side.
FIGHTING BACK
IF there is one trait to describe Morton – aside from his skills on a bike, it’s his freakish ability to get back up.
Morton lost 20kg during the course of his four-week coma.
As for his prognosis, the doctors said it would be impossible for him to ever ride again and he would be lucky to be walking.
Not one to be told he can’t do something – on the first day he was able to sit upright in hospital, Morton gave walking a nudge and with the help of nurses, he walked 15 to 18 metres.
REMEMBERING ‘PASSIONATE ATHLETE AND TRUE TITANS FAN’, 20
COAST SPORT’S BIGGEST TALKING POINTS OF 2020
GOLD COAST DOLPHINS T20 X-FACTORS
HOW SUNS ALMOST LOST STAR ACADEMY GRADUATE
After he arrived back on the Gold Coast, Morton started working with a physiotherapist in Brisbane.
“The first day I got home I walked to the shed, grabbed my bike and pedalled up the road,” Morton said.
“I set myself goals and that was one of them.
“I definitely shouldn’t have but it was hard mentally being in hospital for so long in the intensive care ward.
“There were people screaming and dying the whole time I was there.”
He then began riding his bike up and down the beach at Surfers Paradise just nine weeks after his injury.
By 11 weeks post-accident, when he could drive again, Morton visited the Boomerang Farm bike park on the Gold Coast.
He took his bike, just in case, and took the shuttle up to the top.
Without thinking, he dropped in behind his friend who was on a bike.
“It didn’t even click until I ran the first run,” Morton said.
“I hit this roller and then I was on the lip of a gap jump – I was like, ‘holy s***, what am I doing?’ I had to hit the jump because I couldn’t stop – but it was fine. It was all good.”
Emboldened by his first run, Morton completed five more laps and sent his dad a video.
His mum wasn’t impressed.
STANLEY KNIFE DISASTER RULES IRONMAN OUT OF FIRST ROUND
‘HE’S SUCH A BIG BOY ONE PUMP DIDN’T DO IT’: COAST QUOTES OF THE YEAR
Morton was still on blood thinners for the blood clots in his legs and even a small crash could have been disastrous for his health.
Morton’s accident happened in July 2017.
By December that year, he was racing again, five months after a horror crash that almost killed him and one that doctors thought would leave him unable to walk for the rest of his life.
A RETURN TO REMEMBER
LAST year Morton did the unthinkable and returned to the same Belgium track he suffered his injury.
Not only that, he helped organisers make the jumps even bigger.
Morton went on to be crowned the king of the event.
Remarkably, he produced the biggest air (24m) on the jump he crashed on and recorded the fastest speed (75.5km/h) going into it.
“I’m not in a good mood if I’m not going fast,” Morton said.
Morton’s father was a spectator in the crowd at that competition in Belgium.
“It was pretty special having him there,” Morton said.
“My whole family were emotional about me doing it.”
The Red Bull athlete has produced a new film called Sound of Speed that is available to watch now at www.redbull.com
‘F*** I miss it’: How the Cutters managed to sign former Sun
After stepping away from the AFL due to mental fatigue, former Richmond Tigers premiership star and Gold Coast Sun Brandon Ellis has rediscovered his love for the game, signing with the South Cairns Cutters for the 2025 season. This is why.
South Cairns Cutters sign former Richmond premiership star
A former Richmond Tigers premiership star and Gold Coast Suns player is the latest recruitment coup for AFL Cairns as he joins the reigning premiers in 2025. FIND out how it came about here