Izaac Kennedy suffers season-ending injury blow on eve of BMX World Championships

Australia’s top ranked male BMX rider and Australian Cycling Team member, Izaac Kennedy, has unfortunately suffered a season-ending crash while racing in Nevada, USA this past weekend.

The 22-year-old ruptured his ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee in the crash, as well as fracturing the tibia in his left ankle.

The Gold Coast product said his attention has already turned to recovery and returning to the track.

“I was lucky to fly out to Colorado and get in there straight away and get checked out by some great doctors. I am now planning on heading back to Australia later this week to get the rehab done with the team back home, but I’m super motivated to smash it and get back to riding as soon as possible,” Kennedy said.

“Obviously it’s going to be big summer next year and none of those plans or goals have changed. I know myself and the team around me will do everything we can to prepare as best as possible.

“It’s a pretty tough pill to swallow with the World Championships in Glasgow coming up in a few weeks, and along with how races have gone for me this year I have been more motivated than ever to make it happen.

“In the moment, it kind of feels like the world is over for the time being, but I’m grateful to have some awesome people around me that are keeping the spirits high.

“I sort of knew as soon as I crashed that something wasn’t right. I had a lot of pain in my leg, but when I tried to get up and I saw my knee twist that’s when I started stressing a bit. It wasn’t much of a surprise hearing the news from the doctors for the knee injury; more of just a bummer to really hear it be true.

“I’m super grateful for all the comments and messages I have been reading. It’s awesome to see so many people are behind me and it for sure motivates me even more, so thank you to everyone who has reached out and showed support. It means a lot! Hope to see you all soon and get back out there racing when I can.”

AusCycling’s National BMX Race Coach SX – Performance, Sam Willoughby, said the performance program is fully behind Kennedy as he begins his rehabilitation journey.

“As a national program, our first priority is Izaac's health and wellbeing, and we are confident that we will be able to put a great support network around Izaac to see him return healthy and in great shape to compete again soon,” Willoughby said.

“We were all excited to see Izaac's continued success at the World Championships. He currently sits fourth in the UCI World Rankings and third for the USA BMX Pro Series, and along with a recent podium finish in Round 2 of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup he was showing great signs heading into Glasgow.”

Kennedy posted news of the injury to his Instagram account this morning.

Kennedy suffered the injury when he crashed while competing at the latest USA BMX Pro Series event in Nevada over the weekend.

Main Image: Nico van Dartel @navadanet