OLYMPICS MOUNTAIN BIKE. Switzerland's Nino Schurter won the men's Olympic mountain bike XCO competition in Rio on Sunday (21 August 2016) after completing the 34-kilometre course in one hour, 33 minutes and 28 seconds.

The winner Nino Schurter (SUI), photo © UCI / Cerveny

"It is a dream come true. I cannot believe it. I have been working four years for this gold. I am so happy that everything went well,” he said after the race.

Schurter finished ahead of the defending Olympic champion, Jaroslav Kulhavy of the Czech Republic, after pulling away from him in the penultimate lap of the race. The finish was a reversal of the London 2012 competition between the two riders, when Schurter finished in second place after Kulhavy overtook him within the last 200m.

Jaroslav Kulhavy (CZE), photo © UCI / Cerveny

Kulhavy finished 50 seconds behind the Swiss rider while Spaniard Carlos Coloma joined them on the podium with a bronze medal.

Five-time world champion Julien Absalon of France, who is set to bow out of the sport at the end of this season, finished eighth, while world road race champion Peter Sagan suffered two flat tyres and finished out of contention.

Peter Sagan (SLO), photo © UCI / Cerveny

Schurter now has a complete set of Olympic medals, adding his gold at Rio 2016 to the silver he won in London and the bronze he won at Beijing 2008, as well as becoming the first male mountain biker to win three Olympic medals.

Nino Schurter (SUI), photo © UCI / Cerveny

“If I look back, I needed silver in London to get back and be strong here,” the Swiss rider reflected. “For me, it is the perfect story. I have bronze in Beijing, silver in London, and now gold in Rio. It is the perfect story."

Nino Schurter (SUI), photo © UCI / Cerveny

After a night of heavy rain, the already winding and technical course in Deodoro was left in a very wet and miry state, proving to be a real challenge to the riders. On various occasions some were forced to dismount and push their bikes over a few particularly slick climbs, slipping and sliding as if they were on ice.

For much of the race, Schurter and Kulhavy were never more than a few feet apart, way out ahead of the rest of the competition. It was only until the sixth lap, when Schurter shook Kulhavy from his rear wheel, dropping the Czech champion with some daring riding on the tricky descents, that the Swiss rider began to pull away.

"I felt very good and very strong throughout the entire race. Everything went to plan. In the end, I was able to ride alone, and get safely to the finish line."

Nino Schurter (SUI), photo © UCI / Cerveny

Schurter's title at Rio 2016 is Switzerland's 50th gold medal in Olympic history.

By Patrick Marché
RIO 2016
21/08/2016 16H47