Swiss time trial crash rules Kung out of 2016 Olympic Games

A crash in the Swiss National Time Trial Championships has left BMC Racing's Stefan Küng with a fractured left collarbone and iliac bone, ruling him out of August's Rio Olympic Games. The 22-year-old was to race the team pursuit with Switzerland in what would have been his Olympic debut.

Küng crashed inside the first 10km of the 41km course in Martigny and was taken to hospital for x-rays, which revealed his fractures as team doctor Max Testa explained.

"Stefan has fractured his left collarbone and left iliac bone. Tomorrow he will be transferred to the Swiss Olympic Team specialist in St. Gallen where a decision will be made as to whether surgery is necessary," said Testa. "For both fractures to properly heal, Stefan will likely need to take 4-6 weeks off the bike. We will know more about the necessary recovery period in the coming days."

The liac bone is the upper crest of the pelvis.

Last year Küng suffered fractured vertebra following a crash in the Giro d'Italia, and he was forced to delay the start of the 2016 season due to Epstein-Barr Virus. Having overcome several setbacks during his first year-and-a-half in the WorldTour, Küng explained he is confident of making a full recovery.

"I know that I'm in the best possible hands here. I've come back from injury before and I'll come back again," he said.