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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jeremy Whittle at Elancourt Hill

‘It’s bigger than cycling’: Tom Pidcock defies puncture to claim Olympic gold

Tom Pidcock with his gold medal after retaining his mountain biking title despite suffering a puncture.
Tom Pidcock with his gold medal after retaining his mountain biking title despite suffering a puncture. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Tom Pidcock blew away his rivals with a virtuoso performance on the rough gravel of Elancourt Hill to take back-to-back gold medals in Olympic mountain biking. In an epic battle with France’s Victor Koretzky, Pidcock pulled off the performance of his career, ­fighting back from a puncture and a clumsy wheel change to snatch gold at the very last.

“This is what makes the Olympics to me, the fact that it’s bigger than cycling,” Pidcock said, three years after winning his first gold in Tokyo. “People back home, they get into the Olympic spirit, they celebrate every gold medal but the biggest thing is to inspire people. That is what I love to do. Hopefully I did that today.”

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