American sprint star Noah Lyles is involved in a dramatic buggy accident on his way to the track ahead of the 200m semifinals at the World Championships in Budapest
- A buggy collision occurred at the World Championships in Budapest
- Noah Lyles was involved in the accident outside the stadium
- It happened as the 200m semifinalists were being transported to the track
American star Noah Lyles was involved in a dramatic fall just before his men’s 200m semifinal at the World Championships in Budapest.
Lyles and the rest of the field were being transported from the warm-up/holding area to the track in a golf buggy when their vehicle collided with another vehicle.
The violent shunt was so severe that it threw the driver of one of the buggies out of his seat and onto the ground. The volunteer managed to get up and escape unharmed.
Jamaican star Andrew Hudson appeared to be the only athlete injured in the incident and said afterwards he had a hard time seeing.
“A piece of glass got into my right eye,” Hudson said. “I was at the doctor’s for about 20 minutes. Every time I open my eye, my vision is pretty blurry.
Noah Lyles was involved in a buggy accident ahead of the semifinals of the 200m World Championships in Budapest
Two buggies collided on the way from the warm-up area to the track, throwing a driver out of the vehicle
“I was trying to get the glass out of my eye. The doctor said I had some broken glass in my eye. He tried to block her out as best he could.
“World Athletics asked me if I would run or not. It was kind of like running away or losing my place. I worked so hard to be here, so I figured I’d at least try.”
The athletes involved were scheduled to compete in the first semi-final of the evening, but the race was postponed to the third and final men’s semi-final.
Both Lyles and Hudson were able to keep up, with Lyles qualifying for Friday’s final after winning the delayed race. Hudson didn’t progress after fifth place.
In a statement, the local organizing committee said: “The rearrangement of the 200m races was due to the collision of two golf carts.” One athlete and one volunteer were judged and clearance was given to the athlete to compete. He took part in the last run. The volunteer is fine too. The local organizing committee is investigating the incident and reviewing transport procedures.
One competitor covered his eye after the collision, but was not disqualified from the race