While most other athletes are gearing up for a strong showing at Paris Olympic Games 2024, Australia's BMX star and defending champion Logan Martin has been hit by a robbery in Brussels, Belgium. (More Sports News)
The Aussie team van was broken into and Martin's personal items - including his wallet and backpack - were stolen in Brussels, where the cyclist has been training ahead of the Summer Games. His bikes were thankfully safe, the athlete confirmed.
In a video posted on Instagram, the 30-year-old showed how the van’s windows had been smashed in. "Our van got broken into last night, luckily my bikes weren't in there although my bike bags were in there, with some things in it," the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist said in the video.
"It's a crazy start to the trip," he added.
In another video, Martin said some of the gear was recovered behind a park bench, including gloves, a helmet, tools and massage table, through the use of bag tags. The thieves seem to have eaten his stash of chocolate bars, leaving the wrappers with the discarded equipment.
"Luckily, most of our stuff was in our room and we managed to recover a lot of it, too. I lost my wallet, backpack and a few other things but overall it didn't end up being too bad. It's unfortunate when people feel the need to do things like this," he wrote.
