'I won cycling gold then had bum splinter removed'

A cyclist who claimed gold at the Commonwealth Games has described having to undergo surgery to remove a splinter in his backside afterwards.

Devon winning cyclist Will Tidball saw victory in his Commonwealth debut as part of Team England's 4,000m pursuit team on 30 July.

However, on his final day of racing afterwards, he had a crash, ending up on the floor of the Sir Christopher Hoy Velodrome, which resulted in the 3in (7.6cm) splinter making its presence known.

Tidball, from Exmouth, said he was "super happy" but a bit sore after surgery.

He said: "I just had nowhere to go and then I ended up on the floor and had a three-inch splinter in my backside, that wasn't particularly nice.

"I had to have surgery with a doctor, who scalpel-ed it out. I had stitches.

"But the good news is I have got a gold medal and then a massive splinter to put next to it... a little souvenir.

"I raced the next day but I had to pull out after the splint went into my glute, then suddenly I wasn't on my best form."

Tidball, who is currently still in Glasgow, is set to make his homecoming to Exmouth at the Exeter Aces cycle speedway on Thursday.

To mark the occasion, members of the public have been invited to meet and ride with Tidball at 19:00 BST.

He said he was hoping for a good turnout and to see many old, but also new, faces.

"It's great to do something like I've done, but I think it's only good if you capitalise it and get people on their bikes.

"People can come along, have some fun, and come and ride with me.

"I can't wait to go back there on Thursday to see everyone and hopefully some new faces."

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