Polish luger Mateusz Sochowicz had a serious accident during training at the Olympic track in Beijing, the Polish Luge Association announced on Monday.

The 25-year-old is in hospital after he suffered a compound fracture to leg during training in the National Sliding Centre in Yanqing, Beijing.

"Sochowicz got a green light to go but he collided with the toll gate at high speed. He has a compound fracture of the left lower leg bone. He also has pain in his right knee and pelvis," the secretary general of the Polish Luge Association Janusz Tatera said in an interview for local media on Monday.

The injury of Sochowicz is a big blow for Poland as he is believed as one of the most talented lugers in the country, who competed in the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018.

"Mateusz did a very good job this season. We hoped he could achieve good results at the Winter Olympics in Beijing," Tatera added.

The Poles are impressed by the infrastructure in China, where in the National Sliding Centre they found the longest track in the world.

"The track is technically difficult, but it looks pretty safe. The difficulty is catching the right points to steer, and competitors must help the sled turn into corners," coach of the Poland team Marek Skowronski noted on Monday.

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