Top New Zealand mountainbiker Vanessa Quin broke her neck during the national championships in Nelson at the weekend but has escaped being
paralysed.


The former world downhill champion fractured her C2 vertebra after spilling in her seeding run on Saturday. She also cracked her sternum and suffered hand injuries.

The horror crash comes after an injury-plagued 2006 season, where she shattered her arm in a world cup race in Spain and needed further surgery after the Rotorua world championships in August.

It's left the 30-year-old from Tauranga contemplating another six months off her bike, although she's just relieved she's still able to walk.