A Celebrated Athlete
Tragedy strikes the Senior Games with mysterious fatal cycling crash
Champion bike racer Elton Hammond Jr. was one mile from the finish line of the Summer Senior Games 10K time trial on Tuesday when he suddenly crashed. Within hours, the 86-year-old athlete was pronounced dead by paramedics who had immediately taken him to a hospital near the cycling race in Fulshear.
Details of the crash have yet to be released by the Fulshear Police Department, which did not immediately respond to a phone call by CultureMap.
Hammond was a celebrated cyclist, and in Houston events preceding his death, he won the gold medal in the 20-kilometer road race and silver medals in a 40-kilometer road race and 5-kilometer time trial.
Hammond embodied the Games' mission of empowering senior athletes who had discovered the joys of an active lifestyle later in life.
According to an article in a local newspaper of the cyclist's hometown, Lima, Ohio, Hammond was a respected local figure. Mary Lou Paisley of Allen County Senior Citizens Services attests to his willingness to aid aspiring cyclists and senior athletes, stating, "He was always supportive of other cyclists, especially seniors who were getting back into it. He would help them look over bikes and encourage them."
In some respects, Hammond embodied the Games' mission of empowering senior athletes who had discovered the joys of an active lifestyle later in life. According to his son, Elton Hammond III, Hammond Jr. began cycling more than 40 years ago, but didn't enter the field of racing until his 70s. Since then, he immersed himself in bicycling, including jaunts through Europe and New Zealand.
Considering the age range of Senior Games competitors, the possibility of mid-event death is a predictable fear. The Games' oldest competitor, tennis player Roger Gentilhomme, passed away on June 18 at the age 102 shortly before he was scheduled to fly to Houston for the Games.
