The Highs, The Lows, and a Broken Hand: Summer Slam, Part 2

Coming off the high of a career-best result in the first half of the Summer Slam, the second half of the series was a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in this sport. The rollercoaster of elite racing is relentless, and the final days of the series took me on a wild ride.

The second half started with the Saturday sprints. Honestly, I was still feeling the fatigue from the marathon Keirin day just a few days prior. This qualifier was the slowest of my three attempts during the series, landing me in 8th place. In the first round, I was matched up against a young, up-and-coming Canadian who had just medaled at Junior Worlds in 2023. He was faster on the day and bested me, upsetting me in the first round and knocking me to an 11th-place finish. It was a rough day and a humbling return to reality after the success three days prior. But we reset for the final Wednesday.

I came into the final Keirin day feeling confident. Unfortunately, in the semi-final, I was unable to repeat the result from the week before and missed out on the major final. Interestingly, the Colombian rider who won the previous week was also relegated to the 7-12 minor final with me. It’s a perfect example of the beautiful randomness of the Keirin, and why I love it so much.

Now in the minor final, I saw an opportunity. I decided to test a new tactic that isn’t usually in my toolkit: being more patient with my attack. I wanted to use the race to specifically try and beat the Colombian, who I had yet to finish ahead of. I executed the patient strategy almost perfectly, waiting longer than I ever would, and got even closer than last week. We finished in a photo finish. While he got the edge, I was happy with the result. It was proof that a new tactic could work.

Photo Finish

The final day of sprints on Saturday changed everything. I qualified 6th, not a time I was satisfied with, but okay. I made it through the first round, besting the Spanish World's medalist in the Kilometer. Then, in the quarterfinals, I was matched up against my USA teammate in a best-of-three series.

He won the first ride. In the second, I was confident. I had him pinned high on the rail, and as he dived down into the sprinter's lane, I moved to protect my position. We both turned sharply, and in a bizarre moment, we both lost traction and went down at the same time without ever touching. I stood up, initially thinking I had caused the crash, but after watching the video, it was just a wild, freak accident.

I got back on my feet, and immediately my right hand started trembling uncontrollably. My first thought was adrenaline; I was determined to get a rematch and win the decider. But when I tried to grab my bike, I realized I couldn't grip the handlebar. My hand was already swelling into a weird shape.

It wasn't just swelling. I had a pretty significant fracture in my first metacarpal.

X-Ray of Broken Thumb

Nationals is in three weeks. Time to refocus and pour everything into healing, hoping that I can still compete.