Kulhavy edges Schurter in mountain bike

Czech Jaroslav Kulhavy (picture) won the men’s Olympic mountain bike gold after an epic seven-lap race which left Swiss Nino Schurter in a close second place yesterday. Italian Marco Fontana finished third to take the bronze at 25 seconds behind...

Czech Jaroslav Kulhavy (picture) won the men’s Olympic mountain bike gold after an epic seven-lap race which left Swiss Nino Schurter in a close second place yesterday.

Italian Marco Fontana finished third to take the bronze at 25 seconds behind Kulhavy’s winning time of 1hr 29min 07sec.

Julien Absalon’s dream of winning a third consecutive gold was ended when the French defending champion punctured early on the seven-lap race.

But even before that mishap, Schurter and Kulhavy were expected to be in the fight for the medals. The pair were among a leading group of riders who, as early as the first lap, left many of their rivals trailing with a ferocious pace over the technical Hadleigh Farm site.

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