Tom Pidcock remarkably defends Olympic cross-country mountain bike title at Paris 2024 – as the Team GB star fights back from a puncture to win gold

Tom Pidcock defended his Olympic mountain bike title in dramatic fashion as the Team GB star fought back from a puncture to take gold in stunning style.

Pidcock was leading the race after four laps until disaster struck when he was forced to change engines due to a mechanical problem.

The 24-year-old rider dropped back to ninth place after the puncture, leaving the British star 40 seconds behind Frenchman Victor Koretzky at the halfway point of the race.

Pidcock rode a stunning race and closed the gap, overtaking Koretzky as they entered the final lap of the race.

The duo were joined by South African Alan Hatherly and the trio battled it out for medals.

The Team GB star beat Frenchman Victor Koretzky and South African Alan Hatherly to win

Pidcock was forced to fight back after a puncture left him 40 seconds behind the leader

Koretzky launched an attack on the final lap to distance himself from his rivals, but Pidcock gave chase and managed to re-establish contact.

Pidcock took the lead in stunning fashion when he and Koretzky nearly collided after the Briton had brutally overtaken the Frenchman in the closing stages.

His move would prove to be the decisive moment as the reigning champion sprinted to the finish, finishing with a nine-second lead.

French star Koretzky had to settle for silver, while Hatherly took bronze, another two seconds behind.

Pidcock was booed by the home crowd on Elancourt Hill, who were thrilled when Koretzky attacked on the race’s final climb.

“It wasn’t easy, I wear my glasses for a reason,” an emotional Pidcock told the BBC.

‘The Olympics are so special, it’s like you never give up and give it your all. That’s what I had to do.

Pidcock took the lead in stunning fashion when he dramatically overtook Frenchman Victor Koretzky

Pidcock admitted it was a “shame” he was booed by the French crowd as he crossed the finish line

‘I knew Victor would be super fast in the last lap, I couldn’t lose him anymore, so I knew it was going to be a very, very big fight.

‘He left a gap and I had to go for it. That’s racing, some people might see it differently.’

‘I wanted to show what sport is and never give up. It’s a shame the French booed me.’

The British star has faced a difficult build-up to the Games after being forced to pull out of the Tour de France due to a positive Covid-19 test.

The cyclist announced before the Olympic Games that he had been positive for six days.

His triumph in Paris came just 16 days after he was forced to withdraw from the Tour de France.

Pidcock was congratulated by his girlfriend Bethany Louise Zajac after his victory

The 24-year-old praised his team and family for defending his title after recovering from Covid

The reigning mountain bike world champion had seen this race as his main goal all season.

I think that she [my team] We’re all used to things going so well that my mechanic wasn’t ready, Pidcock said when asked about the puncture.

‘It was my mistake to inject, I can’t thank everyone enough.

‘Running the Tour with COVID and everyone around me, we trained perfectly for this.’