The world cycling champion undergoes surgery after a collision
Motorcycle champion Sandro Cortese underwent surgery after being seriously injured in a collision during the World Superbike Championships in Portimao, Portugal.
"The 30-year-old German cyclist underwent successful surgery to reconnect the joints in the affected vertebrae," the tournament's organizing committee said in a statement today.
Cortesi also suffered a fracture in his right shin, and examinations showed that he had broken four of his ribs on the right side of his body in addition to a suspected fracture of the right ankle.
Cortese was involved in the accident on Saturday after he collided with one of his rivals and then hit the side barriers of the track.
Cortese participated in the MotoGP World Championships from 2005 to 2017 and won the "Moto 3" title in 2012, then switched to the Superbike World Championship in 2018 and won the title in his first season.