Motorsport: Levi Sherwood out of X Games after training crash

Levi Sherwood of New Zealand competes during Red Bull X Fighter in 2016. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi freestyle motocross star Levi Sherwood is set for an extended stay on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in a training accident.

The 26-year-old from Palmerston North broke calcaneus and talus in his left foot after coming unstuck on a move he calls a Cordoba Flip while practicing a month ago.

He had surgery to fix it up but has been ruled out of this year's X Games and is not likely to return to action until late in the year.

"It is all fixed up at the moment and healing back together no pun intended," Sherwood told Radio Sport.

"[I was] just practicing here at home. I was getting ready to go away for X Games – just a few weeks out from that – and just probably got a bit too complacent on one of the easier tricks I do and it went all wrong."

Sherwood posted spectacular footage of the incident on his Instagram account and it clearly shows him bail out of the flip and plummet to the ground as the bike takes off on him.

View this post on Instagram

Pretty bummed to say I wont be competing at @xgames Minneapolis today! I had a crash 3 weeks ago and broke the calcaneus and talus in my left foot. You can see by the video I done a "floater" and had to eject. I was intending to do a Cordova flip but had a brain blank on the take off. That's the way these things go sometimes! Bummed I didn't make it to X for a few reasons. Obviously I wanted to get there and compete with everyone but this year was a little different, I was excited to see my ramp project through and film the 3rd and last episode but also make sure the ramp was built correctly as well as the new landing and make sure it was set up the way it was intended! That way it would give it the best chance to make its place in the sport. All that a side I will be watching from home and wish everyone good luck! 📷 @msft_productions

A post shared by Levi Sherwood (@levisherwood) on Jul 20, 2018 at 4:54pm PDT

"It doesn't really do it justice the height of it from the drone – it was probably about 10 or 11m up," Sherwood explained. "The landing was probably about five metres so it wasn't a straight fall from that height."

The Red Bull-backed star is vowing not to try and come back too soon and risk complications.

"Hopefully towards the end of the year I will be back on my bike. I want to get back on my bike as soon as possibly I can but I also don't want to have any problems with my foot again so I will take my time and do it right."