Reade recovers to make BMX semi

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Video - Shanaze Reade crashes on BMX run

Great Britain's Shanaze Reade brushed off a nasty fall to qualify for the Olympic semi-finals of the women's BMX.

The 19-year-old from Crewe clocked a time of 36.882 seconds, behind only France's Anne-Caroline Chausson, in her second run at the track at Laoshan.

Reade fell off in her first outing, scraping her elbow and thigh.

"I don't know why I fell," said the world champion. "It's just one of those things. It's BMX. I cut my leg but you have to suffer to win the gold medal."

Chausson also came off before recording 36.660 seconds.

"This will be the last race of my career and I've thought of nothing else for two years," she said.

The opening rounds were against the clock but Thursday's semi-finals will pit riders in groups of eight, with the top four going through to the final.

Reade, a two-time world champion who won the test event here last summer, insisted the fall would not upset her.

"Never be afraid, never be afraid," she said. "I'm excited - it's mine."

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Video - Reade reassures mum after crash

The news was not so good for Liam Phillips in the men's event, as he failed to make it past the opening heats.

Phillips missed out on a place in the semi-finals after dislocating his shoulder during his third run after a crash involving five riders.

He continued to finish seventh after a fifth and sixth place finish in the earlier rounds, leaving the 19-year-old in seventh overall with the top four qualifying.

"I'm absolutely gutted," he said. "I felt it had gone as I changed my position. I was in a good points position up to then. If I had just stayed on the bike I would have been ok.

"I came here to get as much experience as possible for 2012 and I feel as though have achieved that."