Olympic and world sprint cycling champion Kristina Vogel has revealed she has been left paralysed from the waist down after a crash.
Vogel, an 11-time UCI World Track Championships gold medallist, underwent spinal surgery following the incident while training in Cottbus in June.
The 27-year-old, who topped the podium in the individual sprint at Rio 2016 and in the team sprint event in London four years earlier, was placed in intensive care after colliding with a Dutch junior rider at nearly 60 kilometres per hour before landing on the concrete track.
"It's s***, there's no other way to put it. No matter how you look at it, I cannot walk anymore. And that cannot be changed," Vogel told Der Spiegel.
"But what should I do? I think the quicker you accept a new situation, the better you can handle it.
"[After the crash] I saw someone walk away with my shoes. But I didn't feel it when they were taken off. I realised immediately now I am paraplegic, there will be no more walking."
Top Headlines
Featured Matches
Football
Arsenal
English Premier League
2-0
Brighton and Hove Albion
Aston Villa
English Premier League
2-0
Chelsea
Fulham
English Premier League
0-1
Newcastle United
Leeds United
English Premier League
2-0
West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City
English Premier League
2-1
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City
English Premier League
2-0
Everton
Liverpool
English Premier League
1-0
Crystal Palace
Cricket
Sussex
Sri Lanka
Teams will be announced at the toss
Multan Sul..
Quetta Gla..
Teams will be announced at the toss
Islamabad..
Karachi Ki..
Teams will be announced at the toss
Peshawar Z..
Lahore Qal..
Teams will be announced at the toss
Islamabad..
Quetta Gla..
Teams will be announced at the toss
Lahore Qal..
Islamabad..
Teams will be announced at the toss
Mumbai Ind..
Delhi Capi..
Teams will be announced at the toss