Olympic sprinter James Ellington and Nigel Levine do not know how lucky they are to be alive after the pair were involved in a head-on motorbike accident while on a warm-weather training camp in Tenerife.
Initial reports suggest Ellington, a European champion, has suffered career-ending injuries including a double leg break and a possible broken pelvis. It is thought Levine, part of Great Britain’s 4x400m team at Rio 2016, may also have suffered a broken pelvis.
The pair were rounding a bend on a motorbike after a training session on the Spanish island where they are on a British Athletics warm-weather camp alongside fellow sprinters Martyn Rooney and Rabah Yousif.
It is understood they crashed head-on into a car travelling on the wrong side of the road, being driven by a tourist not used to driving on the right-hand side.
Ellington thanked his fans for their messages of goodwill.He wrote: ‘Overwhelmed and truly touched by everyone’s messages and support, I truly am blessed as I do not know how me or my training partner Nigel are still alive
Me and him are both strong characters and will be looking to bounce back from this horrific accident.’
Both competed at Rio 2016 last summer but it is thought that the chances of Ellington returning to top-class athletics are very slim given the severity of his injuries. It will be a devastating blow to the 31-year-old who has established himself as a mainstay of Great Britain’s 4x100m team in recent years.
He helped Britain win 4x100m gold in the 2014 and 2016 European Championship and relay silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and has a 100m personal best of 10.11 sec.
