Allison Langdon burst into tears after hearing the heartbreaking story of an Australian Olympian.
The 45-year-old TV reporter travelled to Paris to front Channel Nine’s Olympic coverage and presented an inspirational segment on BMX star Saya Sakakibara on Wednesday.
Kicking off the live coverage ahead of the opening ceremony on July 26, Ally was brought to tears after learning the heartbreaking story of Saya and her family.
A profile of her career was narrated by Saya’s brother and fellow BMX star Kai, who was left in a coma for two months after a horrific crash at a World Cup event in Bathurst in 2020.
Kai was hospitalised for eight weeks before spending months recovering at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit in Sydney’s west.
The accident left Kai with a permanent impact on his speech and movement, and Ally was emotional listening to him voice the segment about his sister.
In the profile, Kai said he was filled with ‘pride, love and excitement’ ahead of watching his sister Saya compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“She does it for both of us. She’s wearing my race number, 77. It’s like I’m there with her… Saya and I never give up,” he added in the emotional segment.
Allison Langdon (pictured left) burst into tears after hearing Australian Olympian Saya Sakakibara’s heartbreaking story
Ally broke down in tears and admitted she was touched by the “beautiful story,” adding, “I didn’t know Kai was doing that story about his sister. It’s so beautiful.”
Saya, who also suffered an accident and was left unconscious at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was also moved by her brother’s tribute.
“It makes me cry,” she said while holding back her own tears in the studio.
“Seeing them together and hearing him say those words makes me very emotional. BMX means a lot to me and Kai.”
Saya is back for another run at the Olympics after being left immobile on the track in a horrific accident at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She was devastated to be eliminated from the event after Alise Willoughby brushed her wheel during the tense semi-finals.
“I feel like I let everyone down, especially my brother,” she said at the time of the devastating accident.
A profile of her career was narrated by Saya’s brother and fellow BMX star Kai, who was left in a coma for two months after a crash at a World Cup event at Bathurst in 2020 (Saya pictured).
Breaking down in tears, Ally was moved by the “beautiful story”, while Saya (pictured with Kai in hospital) was also touched by her brother’s tribute.
“I can’t believe it’s over. It’s really shit. I honestly don’t know what happened, but I know I was riding really well.
“My stats were going really well. I went down with Alise (Willoughby), who caught up with me. We went down together. That’s all I remember.”
Fortunately, Saya emerged from the shocking accident with only a few bumps and bruises and will be returning to the Olympics this year.
The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, but the action will officially begin two days earlier on Wednesday with the start of the football and rugby sevens group stages.
Meanwhile, the BMX competition will begin on July 30 with the Freestyle qualifying round.
