Dutchman Jan Willem van Schip, who in one of the turns, with 39 laps to go, went full throttle towards Oliver Wood’s bike, appeared to crash his helmet into the Briton’s, causing him to fall.
The team of Portugal made up of Iúri Leitão and Rui Oliveira, won the final sprint in the Madison male after a chaotic 200-lap racewhich kept at bay Italy already the defending champion Denmark to win the gold medal in the track cycling of the Olympics.
It was chaotic mainly due to the incredible unsportsmanlike conduct of the Dutchman. Jan Willem van Schipwho in one of the turns, with 39 laps to go, went all out towards the bike of Oliver Woodappeared to crash his helmet into the Briton’s, causing him to fall.
Wood got up as best he could and was treated by the medical team present at the race. His expression was one of indignation and bewilderment, while the rest of the competitors continued to circle the velodrome.
The authorities reviewed the videos of the crash and ended up deciding to disqualify the Dutch team, which also included Yoeri Havikwho paid dearly for his compatriot’s irresponsibility.
The top step of the podium went to Portugal. Leitão added this gold medal to the silver he won two days earlier in the Omnium. After confirming his victory, he shook his fist, with a mixture of joy and disbelief, in front of a packed Vélodrome National, on the penultimate day of competition.
Leitão and Oliveira led the Italians and Danes by just two points going into the final sprint, but with a strong attack in the final stage they managed to cross the finish line in first place, with a total of 55 points.
The Italian team of Simone Consonni and Elia Viviani finished on 47 points to take the silver medal, while the Danish duo of Michael Morkov and Niklas Larsen finished on 41 points to complete the podium. It was the second medal of the Paris Games for Consonni, who helped the Italians win bronze in the team pursuit.
The test gets its name from the place where it originated: the Madison Square Garden in New York. It is an endurance race in which teams accumulate points for winning intermediate sprints, and can obtain a bonus of 20 points for winning laps over the rest of the field.
Each of the three podium finishers won a lap in the group. Saturday’s track cycling program set the stage for Sunday’s finale, when the American Jennifer Valente will try to defend her Omnium title. Medals will also be decided in the women’s sprint and men’s keirin.
Source: Ambito
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