Australia racing cyclist Alex Porter was involved in a freak crash when his bike collapsed underneath him in the velodrome.
Porter was in action alongside his compatriots in the team pursuit on Monday when suddenly he suffered an equipment failure and his handlebars seemingly disintegrated.
The 25-year-old collided with the track, head-first, losing the skin on his nose in the process, and ripped his jersey in the crash.
His bike, which is custom made, was also smashed to pieces.
Chris Hoy said on BBC One: "That is incredibly rare, and that will shake the confidence of all the riders because they will be thinking, could this happen to us too?"
He added: "Something has catastrophically failed. Carbon fibre is one of the toughest materials known to man but if it goes, it goes in a dramatic fashion. Hopefully, it's a freak problem with that one component.
"We thought he had touched wheels, that's what usually happens occasionally in a team pursuit, you get too close to the rider in front, touch wheels, and come down.
"That will have given him a real shake. If he can get back up and still ride then that is a major achievement.
"The worst possible place for it to happen at the Olympic games on your first ride."
