Awang ruled out of Worlds

Azizulhasni Awang, who crashed spectacularly as Sir Chris Hoy won the men's keirin final at the World Cup Classics on Saturday night, is set to undergo surgery to remove a splinter of the Manchester Velodrome track from his calf and has been ruled out of next month's World Championships.

As Hoy surged to a sensational win in the physical event which begins behind a motor-paced Derny, carnage unfolded behind him on the final bend with four of the six riders wiped out.

Awang's calf was skewered by a shard of Siberian pine from the track, but remarkably he recovered to remount his bike and place third, with Jason Niblett ahead of him in second after avoiding the crash.

Awang, though, soon stopped after the finish line, collapsing in agony with his calf pierced by the wood before he was taken away on a stretcher.

Although rare, it is not an unusual occurrence in track cycling and Jason Queally, the Sydney Olympic champion, famously now rides only against the clock - rather than elbow-to-elbow races - after crashing at the Meadowbank track in Edinburgh in 1996 and being pierced by an 18-inch piece of wood.

Awang, who has won World Championship medals in the last two seasons and is renowned for his trademark wheelie as he crosses the line, was poised to go under general anaesthetic for the removal of the splinter at Manchester's Royal Infirmary.

A scan late on Saturday night assessed the injury, but medics opted to wait until Sunday to tackle the splinter, which was around 20cm long and at one end was the full width of one of the track's wooden boards.

Set for surgery

Malaysia head coach John Beasley said: "They said it's best if they do it with all their experts around and when everyone's fresh.

"The only way they can do it is by surgically going in from both ends and spreading it apart and pulling it out."

Awang had attempted to squeeze through a gap ahead of the crash, which also saw Kamil Kuczynski of Poland, Edward Dawkins of New Zealand and Spain's Juan Peralta Gascon wiped out and a foot race to the line in an attempt to gain valuable Olympic qualification points.

The 23-year-old was unable to receive his bronze medal on the podium, with Kuczynski fourth, Dawkins fifth and Peralta Gascon, who had been the first rider to fall, last after forgetting to carry his bike to the line.

Immediately after the finish, Dawkins was asked by a medical official "where do you hurt?"

He responded "I'm from New Zealand" and when the question was repeated he said "I heard you, mate. I'm from New Zealand. We don't feel pain".

Olympic focus

Beasley, too, was initially unaware of the splinter when he helped Awang back to his bike, checking the rider's head and state of mind, but not assessing his body for injuries.

"I feel really bad because I didn't even see it," added the head coach, who believed adrenaline took Awang across the line.

Awang, who was not due to ride Sunday's team sprint, will return to his home in Melbourne next week and will miss the World Championships in Apeldoorn, Holland which begin on March 23, while he is due to get married in April.

London 2012 is now his focus.

Beasley added: "He'll be right for the Olympics. Hopefully Sir Chris Hoy will be in second place and he'll be on the top."