GB sprinter Victoria Williamson to undergo further surgery after Rotterdam crash

Track sprinter Victoria Williamson is in a stable condition in hospital in Rotterdam after suffering multiple injuries in a crash at the Six Day meeting in the Dutch city on Saturday evening.

The 22-year-old, who in 2013 partnered Becky James to track sprint bronze at the World Championships in Minsk, faces a long recovery, with her hopes of competing in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio over.

In a further blow to Great Britain’s track squad, it has emerged that Katie Archibald is likely miss the World Championships at the Lea Valley VeloPark in London in March after rupturing knee ligaments in a crash last month.

Williamson fractured her pelvis and a number of vertebrae as a result of the crash during an individual sprint heat, which according to British Cycling also resulted in her receiving a cut to her right flank.

Organisers decided to abandon racing for the evening following the crash, asking fans to leave the venue.

Justin Grace, Great Britain team sprint coach, said on Sunday: "Victoria is being very well looked after here in Rotterdam and the well-wishes people have been sending her are very much appreciated.

"She gave us all a scare last night and while her injuries are serious they are not life-threatening.

"From a performance point of view this is another injury to deal with – Victoria has a long road to recovery ahead of her but her health is the highest priority for the whole team and we'll make sure she receives the best possible care."

Today, her father Mark said on Twitter that she would be undergoing further surgery tomorrow.

Update: @VicsWilliamson Plan to operate tmr on hip joint and lower spine. If successful fly home Friday. More lucid but still hurts a lot !

— MARK WILLIAMSON B.Sc (@mpwill64) January 11, 2016

He also tweeted a picture of her giving the thumbs up from her hospital bed.

That's a thumbs up from our precious daughter @VicsWilliamson pic.twitter.com/Eraj393z3v

— MARK WILLIAMSON B.Sc (@mpwill64) January 11, 2016

Archibald, aged 21 and who helped Great Britain win world championship gold in the team pursuit in Cali, Colombia in 2014, will not be able to help the country try and regain the title they lost to Australia in Paris last year.

In a column for the Sunday Herald yesterday, she confirmed that she had ruptured a knee ligament in a crash last month, though she declined to go into specifics.

“Nothing is more important than the Olympics and rushing through rehab, to make riding the Worlds viable, would be a big mistake," she said.

"Luckily, there's a big team at British Cycling being sensible on my behalf."

She added: "It's a no-brainer which, if forced to pick, I should prioritise. One comes every year and the other comes every four years and is the biggest sporting platform on the planet.

"But I want it all. I really think I can make it back and hopefully forget about this whole annoying thing soon."