Switzerland’s Muriel Furrer falls during the junior world championship road race and suffers serious head trauma. What will happen next with the World Cup is not yet clear.
Muriel Furrer, taken on Tuesday September 24, crossing the finish line at Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich during the 18.8 kilometer junior women’s individual time trial.
Sirotti Stefano / Imago
The sixth day of the World Cycling Championships in Zurich ended in fear and hope rather than celebration. In the junior women’s race earlier in the day, Switzerland’s Muriel Furrer fell seriously for reasons that are still unclear. The World Cycling Federation (UCI), Swiss Cycling and the Zurich 2024 local organizing committee announced this in a press release in the evening. The race ended at noon.
The accident occurred in heavy rain on the urban circuit, in a wooded area. Muriel Furrer was taken by rescue helicopter to a hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. She suffered serious head trauma and is in very critical condition.
At present, there are no confirmed facts about what happened in the accident, the statement said. Clarifications by the responsible authorities are ongoing. For this reason, no additional information could be provided at this time. There was no further information on Furrer’s condition until Thursday evening.
The 18-year-old from Zurich has made a name for herself above all as a talented mountain biker and cross-country cyclist. In May this year, she won bronze in the relay at the European Junior Cross Country Championships and finished fifth in the individual event. The Egg rider was recently part of the junior team for the World Championships in Andorra and the European Road Championships in Belgium.
There are still twelve races left in the World Cup
The organizing committee and the UCI must now decide if and how the race will continue in Zurich. The decision could also depend on the results of the accident investigation. There are still twelve races remaining on the program for the Cycling and Para-cycling World Championships from Friday to Sunday, including the women’s and men’s road races.
Muriel Furrer is particularly strong in mountain biking, here at the Junior World Championships in Andorra.
Maxime Schmid / Keystone
