Rio 2016: Mark Cavendish wins first Olympic medal with dramatic silver in men’s omnium
British sprinting great Mark Cavendish ended his long wait for an Olympic medal as he won silver in the men’s omnium after a dramatic finale in the Rio velodrome.
The Manx Missile ended his wait at the third time of asking, having failed to claim a podium finish in Beijing and London, eventually finishing just 16 points adrift of champion Elia Viviani of Italy after the six-discipline event.
Defending champion Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark, meanwhile, took bronze.
The omnium is unpredictable and the concluding points race - a format change since London 2012, when the time-trial was last - means the podium can change right until the very last. It was that reshuffle which tempted Cavendish to return to the velodrome.
There is always drama when the Manxman - winner of 30 Tour de France stage wins - gets on a bike, and so it proved again as he controversially was allowed to remain in the race despite causing a big crash in the final stage.
It appeared to be of the Brit’s own making, apparently not seeing South Korea rider Park Sanghoon behind him as he quickly descended the velodrome track.
It sent the South Korea sprawling into the path of two other riders, including gold medal winner Viviani, with 109 laps in the final points race to go.
Cavendish stayed on his bike and the Italian hopped back onto his and quickly re-joined, but it was then neutralised with 99 laps to go to allow Park to be taken away on a stretcher.
Though many would argue that Cav should be punished for the crash, it actually hindered his chances of winning rather than boosted them. The race re-start gave all the riders a rest at the mid-way stage, meaning one of his greatest strengths, his road endurance, meant little as his competitors all had fresher legs for the race conclusion.
Viviani had 178 points, 16 clear of second-placed Cavendish, entering the final discipline, the concluding 160-lap points race where the riders would add to their cumulative totals with sprints every ten laps.
Viviani rode strongly and finished with 207 points amassed over the six disciplines, Cavendish with 194 and Hansen with 192. World champion Fernando Gaviria of Colombia was fourth on 181 points.