Oliver Wood suffered a heavy crash during the men’s madison to end Team GB’s hopes of a medal in the event at the Paris Olympic Games, with fans blaming Dutch rider Jan-Willem van Schip

Team GB star Oliver Wood saw his hopes of an Olympic medal in the men’s Madison event ended by a horror crash.

Wood was taken out by a Dutch rider, Jan-Willem van Schip, who appeared to lead with his head as he crashed into the 28-year-old Brit. The incident cost Team GB a place on the podium, with Wood and team-mate Mark Stewart ending up in a lowly 12th place.

A battered and sore Wood said: “Say what you want. I didn’t see anything. I have no clue, absolutely no clue. All I know is I got hit really hard from behind by literally the biggest rider on the track.

“I don’t know what I have done but my knee really hurts and my a*** really hurts. He hit me so hard. I felt like a crash test dummy. I am alright, I will survive. I will live to fight another day.”

Van Schip managed to continue without penalty as the Netherlands ultimately finished in seventh place.

But after the race, the Olympic committee stated: “Following the review of an incident during the Men’s Madison, Team 6; Netherlands, have been disqualified under article 1.10,008 point 8.1.”

The rule states that cyclists shouldn’t endanger each other, which could lead to a team’s disqualification if the rule is broken. The Netherlands was also fined 1,000 CHF, equal to £900.

Did the Dutch rider do it on purpose? ( Image: Eurosport)

Great Britain’s Oliver Wood crashes to the ground
There were still 40 laps remaining when the Dutchman attempted to overtake Wood on the right-hand side. But as he passed, Van Schip appeared to cut Wood off and then knocked him off balance with his head.

The riders were travelling at high speed, meaning even a small knock can be enough to throw them off their bikes. Wood slammed into the ground, with Van Schip escaping the incident without punishment as he rode away.

The Team GB man meanwhile was left stricken on the floor before he eventually got up and rejoined the race. Though he got back onto his bike, Wood struggled to regain his form, with Stewart having to do most of the work.

Jan Willem van Schip was subsequently disqualified ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)

But they could not recover, ending up way outside the medal positions. Portugal took home the gold, with Italy finishing as runners-up and Denmark claiming bronze.

While Wood will have been disappointed to miss out, he still leaves Paris with a silver medal after his efforts in the Team Pursuit. Fans were left fuming on his behalf though, with many feeling he robbed of another medal.

One wrote: “Did our guy just get head-butted out of the Madison by the Netherlands?” Another added: “Didn’t know headbutts were allowed in cycling? How can the Netherlands get away with that manoeuvre?” A third asked: “That looks deliberate from the Dutch rider there?”

Former Team GB superstar cyclist Sir Chris Hoy expressed concern for Woods’ safety after the crash. He told BBC Sport: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Ollie Wood was concussed from that. He wouldn’t be expecting it either. His body would be loose. He would be relaxed and then getting this massive hit – I really felt for him there.”

Indeed, the incident occurred after Team GB’s Jack Carlin was jeered by Dutch fans on Friday following a collision with Jeffrey Hoogland in the men’s sprint bronze medal clash. Carlin, who took the bronze, was accused of playing “rugby on wheels” by Dutch coach Mehdi Kordi.

And throughout Saturday, there was clear animosity between the camps.

Oliver Wood and Mark Stewart were competing for Team GB