Australia’s Daniel McConnell has won bronze after an enthralling men’s mountain bike race in Glasgow.
McConnell had led in patches throughout but faded in the final 500m to finish behind New Zealand pair Anton Cooper and Samuel Gaze, 10sec off the winner. It’s the first time an Australian has won a medal in the men’s mountain biking at a Commonwealth Games.
McConnell was part of a thrilling four-way battle on the taxing Cathkin Braes circuit almost from the outset. Cooper, Gaze and McConnell had ridden with Canadian Max Plaxton for most of the race with the lead alternating amongst the quartet throughout.
Plaxton was the first casualty, losing touch up the hill midway through the second-last lap when Cooper made his move to the lead. Cooper led McConnell and Gaze for the majority of the final lap before pulling clear in the final straight.
Behind the thrilling skirmish for gold was a brutal battle with the course for several riders. Jamaican Robert Barnes, Jersey’s Richard Tanguy and England’s Paul Oldham all took painful spills on the arduous Glasgow circuit.
Several more riders also failed to finish the race.
Earlier in the day, McConnell had watched his partner, Rebecca Henderson, land bronze in the women’s cross country, behind Canadian pair Catherine Pendrel and Emily Batty.
Pendrel dominated the women’s race finishing more than a minute clear, leaving Batty and Henderson engaged in an intriguing tussle throughout. Batty finished 12 seconds clear of Henderson after pulling clear on the final lap.
