Cycling: Jacques pulls out after heavy fall

Peter Jacques, debilitated by injury sustained earlier in the week, retired from the British sprint championship yesterday after collapsing at the end of a quarter-final race on the National Cycling Centre track, writes Robin Nicholl from Manchester.

"The pain was incredible. I could not breathe," the Yorkshireman said after losing the first race in his best-of-three match with Craig Percival.

Jacques, part of the three-man team that gave City of Edinburgh RC the Olympic sprint title here, crashed late on Wednesday, but recovered to win the rerun second-round race before going to hospital.

After losing to Percival, Jacques needed medical assistance at the side of the track, and has "extensive internal bruising". His exit afforded Percival a one-ride route into the last four, where he takes on Steve Paulding, one of two City of Edinburgh semi-finalists.