World Supersport Champ Ana Carrasco Is Back After Spinal Injury

It took five months of recovery, and now the training begins.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Feb 24, 2021 at 12:00pm ET

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September, 2020, was a big month for World Supersport 300 champion Ana Carrasco. Well in advance, both she and her fans around the world knew that a documentary about her life was scheduled to premiere. However, Carrasco couldn’t possibly have known that month would also be when she’d have a bad crash in testing, resulting in serious injuries that would sideline her from the bike for months.

The racer was testing at Estoril in Portugal when the crash occurred, and it fractured her D4 and D6 vertebrae. Carrasco never lost consciousness during the crash, nor in its immediate aftermath. Thankfully, skilled specialists were able to piece her back together. Now, at the end of February, 2021, doctors gave her the all-clear to ride again.

From the beginning, Carrasco has been a very active presence on Instagram throughout her career, and she saw no reason to change after her crash. Instead, she began documenting various points in her recovery. That includes physical therapy, and also the new battle scar that now runs down the top third of her spine. The plates and screws that doctors used to help her heal finally came out in January.

Although Carrasco says she’s not at the level of physical fitness she’d been in prior to the crash, she looks forward to regaining those heights again. Because racers are generally in such good physical shape, it often seems like they recover from injuries very quickly. Still, it’s important not to rush yourself before you’re ready, or you can make things worse.

“Of course, I feel super happy to be back on the bike. In reality, five months has seemed like five years to me! I love riding, so to be back with my team is for me the perfect situation. I am motivated and happy,” Carrasco said in a statement.

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“I have been listening a lot to my doctor and now he says it is OK to ride. I am excited to be “bike ready” and to get back on my Ninja 400 for winter testing,” she continued.

“Now it is time for me and my Ninja to get back into shape. I have a great team to support me and had so many good wishes from fans when I was recovering. My head is in a positive place and really soon I hope to be back to full riding fitness.”