Fem van Empel's manager gives an update - "Fortunately, it looks fine. She was able to move her foot and knee"

Fem van Empel failed to repeat her last year’s performance in the World Cup race in Val di Sole. She crashed into a pole and groaned in pain, after which she was carried off on a stretcher.

During the second lap of the race, she crashed hard and was unable to recover. In the wake of the incident, many people speculated that there might have been a serious injury, but it doesn't appear to have occurred.

Team manager Tom De Kort informed Sporza, "The emergency services briefly feared a leg fracture, but fortunately, it looks fine. The doctors checked everything and gave her some painkillers. She was able to move her foot and knee and could also finally lean on her leg."

For a moment, even he was scared. "It was definitely scary. When a rider stays down, it's never good. It was a serious fall, and Fem was screaming in pain." The medical team will check for a possible bone fracture tomorrow before making a final decision. "Tomorrow, we will still take a scan in the Netherlands just to be sure it is not a crack. But probably it is "a horse bite", where her thigh muscle was crushed between the post and her bone. That is very painful," concluded De Kort.