Crashes just part of life for BMX riders

Latvia's Rihards Veide (back C) and Edzus Treimanis (L) crash with France's Quentin Caleyron (14) and Connor Fields of the U.S. as Australia's Khalen Young (R) rides by during the men's BMX semi-final run during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the BMX Track in the Olympic Park August 10, 2012.

LONDON (Reuters) - Getting news about an injured BMX competitor from another injured BMX rider might sound odd, but it is barely surprising at an Olympic event marred by crashes.

On Friday, Brazilian Squel Stein crashed out of the women's semi-finals and was carried out of the VeloPark track on a stretcher.

"She is OK. She banged her head so she was just taken to the hospital for checks as a precaution," said Renato Rezende, Stein's Brazilian team mate, who was wearing a shoulder strap himself after crashing out of Thursday's quarter-finals.

In most of the runs, at least one rider has crashed and riders put it down to the tension of the Games.

"It's the pressure. Everybody wants to get in there, everybody wants the final and the medals," said Frenchman Quentin Caleyron.

"At the Olympic Games, everybody is hungry and some people are ready for anything. I have to cope with it," said his compatriot Joris Daudet, speaking on Thursday before he was eliminated in the semi-finals on Friday following a crash.

"We have here the best in the world and everybody wants to beat each other. It's normal we rub on each other."

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Michael Holden)