{"id":239937,"date":"2026-04-23T13:52:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/i-got-really-lucky-german-teenager-narrowly-avoids-career-ending-injury-after-track-crash-leaves-him-with-50cm-piece-of-wood-lodged-in-hip\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T13:52:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:52:03","slug":"i-got-really-lucky-german-teenager-narrowly-avoids-career-ending-injury-after-track-crash-leaves-him-with-50cm-piece-of-wood-lodged-in-hip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/i-got-really-lucky-german-teenager-narrowly-avoids-career-ending-injury-after-track-crash-leaves-him-with-50cm-piece-of-wood-lodged-in-hip\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I got really lucky&#8217; \u2013 German teenager narrowly avoids career-ending injury after track crash leaves him with 50cm piece of wood lodged in hip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-4a725d11-7163-4465-9312-830d3763923f\">German rider Moritz Mauss underwent emergency career-saving surgery to remove a 50cm (20in) splinter of wood from his hip this week following a crash at the International Belgian Track Meeting on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The 18-year-old, who rides for the UAE Team Emirates Gen-Z development squad, was competing in the Madison in the Gent track cycling event when he crashed, sliding across the wooden track.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-4a725d11-7163-4465-9312-830d3763923f-2\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">As a result, splinters of wood from the track lodged in his leg, including a half-metre-long piece in his hip.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">Article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Writing in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Mauss said that he underwent surgery within hours of the crash, adding that he was &#8220;only a few centimetres&#8221; away from &#8220;a career-ending injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;I thought about sharing this post for the last few days, but I think it is important to also show these sides of the journey and the sport,&#8221; Mauss wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;On Sunday, I crashed in the Madison race at the International Track Meeting in Gent. During my fall, I slid across the track, and a 50cm long piece of wood splintered from the track and went directly through my hip and upper left leg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;I was taken directly to the hospital and had surgery only about two hours after the accident. Everything went smoothly, and I am already back home now.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-K4dQaX7V7vr4oTmZYtTpBA\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-K4dQaX7V7vr4oTmZYtTpBA slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;I got really lucky because the splinter missed my nerves and most of my leg muscles. I will be out for a while now, but it could have been A LOT worse. Only a few centimetres could have meant a career-ending injury.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">It isn&#8217;t the first time a track racer has been impaled by a piece of the wooden track surface. In 2011, Malaysian sprinter <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/uci-world-cup-2011-awangs-splinter-update\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/uci-world-cup-2011-awangs-splinter-update\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/uci-world-cup-2011-awangs-splinter-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Azizulhasni Awang had a 23cm (9-inch) sliver<\/a> pierce his lower left leg after a crash during the Manchester Track World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Then, in 2019, Italian junior Lorenzo Gobbo &#8211; also racing at the Eddy Merckx velodrome in Gent &#8211; underwent three hours of surgery to have a <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/italian-rider-impaled-by-huge-splinter-at-european-junior-track-championships\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/italian-rider-impaled-by-huge-splinter-at-european-junior-track-championships\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/italian-rider-impaled-by-huge-splinter-at-european-junior-track-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50cm splinter removed from his hip<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Mauss, who this year has 25 road race days under his belt, including appearances at Paris-Roubaix Espoirs and Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge Under-23, is riding his first season in the under-23 ranks after moving on from the German Junior Racing Team last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">He finished 9th in the junior road race at the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/reflections-from-rwanda-eight-things-we-learned-at-the-world-championships\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/reflections-from-rwanda-eight-things-we-learned-at-the-world-championships\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/reflections-from-rwanda-eight-things-we-learned-at-the-world-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rwanda World Championships<\/a> last September, while his top result so far in 2026 is third on stage 1 of the Istrian Spring Tour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Mauss didn&#8217;t specify a timeframe for a comeback from his freak injury, though he concluded on a positive note, writing that &#8220;I am certain there is still a lot more to come this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;Thanks for the amazing support from my national team and the people at the hospital,&#8221; Mauss added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;I am really grateful to be in such good hands and to have so many supportive and loving people around me!!!<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;Among all the wonderful moments this year and everything this sport has already brought me, those low points are also part of it. We have to accept what happened, and I will make the best of it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;The work I have put in over the last few months is definitely not lost, and I am certain there is still a lot to come this season. Time to enjoy some unexpected days off the bike now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/i-got-really-lucky-german-teenager-narrowly-avoids-career-ending-injury-after-track-crash-leaves-him-with-50cm-piece-of-wood-lodged-in-hip\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>German rider Moritz Mauss underwent emergency career-saving surgery to remove a 50cm (20in) splinter of wood from his hip this week following a crash at the International Belgian Track Meeting on Sunday. The 18-year-old, who rides for the UAE Team Emirates Gen-Z development squad, was competing in the Madison in the Gent track cycling event [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":239938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-239937","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}