Rio Olympic BMX champion Connor Fields was “knocked out” at February’s national championships in what he called the scariest injury of his life.
“I hit my head ... and woke up strapped to a body board in an ambulance on the way to the hospital,” was posted on Fields’ social media on Sunday after he placed second at Grand Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. “When I asked what happened they told me I had a seizure on impact. I haven’t really ever been knocked out before, and when they told me that I was absolutely terrified. Couple months later I was cleared by the doctors.”
Fields, 26, did not compete at the first World Cup stop of 2018 in late March and early April after a crash at nationals. He returned to finish 14th, 15th and 34th in the next three World Cups and 29th at the world championships.
He was seventh and 12th in the last two World Cups in late September and ranks 17th in the world, down from No. 2 at the end of 2017.
“This was by far the toughest year of my career,” was posted on Fields’ social media.
In 2016, the brash Fields became the first U.S. Olympic champion in an event that debuted at the 2008 Beijing Games. He overcame a broken wrist suffered four months before Rio.
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