CYCLING: Australian cyclist Amy Gillett was killed and five other members of the Australian women's road cycling team were badly injured when they were hit by a car while training for the Tour of Thuringen in Germany, officials said yesterday.
Gillett (29), a former Olympic rower, was killed when a car struck the six riders near the town of Zeulenroda, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Leipzig on Monday afternoon.
The injured cyclists were named as Katie Brown, Lorian Graham, Kate Nichols, Louise Yaxley and Alexis Rhodes.
"The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Cycling Australia (CA) would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Amy's family and friends," the two sports bodies said in a joint statement.
Cycling Australia chief executive Graham Fredericks told reporters Yaxley and Rhodes were in a "very serious" condition in hospital. The other three were said to be stable.
Yaxley suffered "major trauma" that required surgery while Rhodes had a thoracic fracture and serious concussion.
Brown suffered a badly fractured leg, Nichols had soft tissue damage and torn tendons in her hand which required surgery, while Graham had multiple fractures of her knees, fingers and both collarbones.
German police said the accident happened when the car's driver, an 18-year-old learner, lost control of her vehicle between Zeulenroda and Auma.
"She then ended up on the oncoming lane and that's where the collision with the six cyclists happened," said Ralf Mohrmann, senior prosecutor in Gera.
Gillett was ranked in the top 100 women in the world for the road race.
