Rio 2016: Cavendish wins elusive Olympics medal

After eight years of trying and at the third time of asking, Cavendish finished behind Italy’s Elia Viviani, while defending champion Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark took bronze.

A mid-race crash appeared to be of Cavendish’s own making and he may yet face a protest from rivals or a sanction from race officials which could deny him the podium spot.

Viviani finished with 207 points, Cavendish with 194 and Hansen with 192. World champion Fernando Gaviria of Colombia was fourth on 181 points.

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. That reshuffle tempted Cavendish to return to the velodrome.

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 10 laps.

Even Gaviria was not out of medal contention on 140 points, 22 behind the Briton.

Gaviria tried to take a lap from the gun, but instead had to settle for winning the first sprint.

And Viviani pipped Cavendish to the second sprint before Hansen launched his bid for a lap, which was successful before the sixth sprint, displacing Cavendish in silver medal position.

There was some controversy when Park Sanghoon struck Cavendish’s back wheel, the Briton having swung down the track moments after appearing to look in the South Korean’s direction.

Park tumbled, taking Viviani with him with 109 laps to go.

Cavendish stayed on his bike and the Italian was swiftly back in the race, benefiting from two laps’ grace, as the race was neutralised with 99 laps to go to allow Park to be taken away on a stretcher.

Gaviria had gained a lap by then and when the race resumed scored in the seventh sprint to move within two points of third-placed Cavendish, who restored his cushion to five by placing second to Hansen in the sprint.

The Briton won the ninth sprint ahead of Viviani and Gaviria and triumphed in the 12th sprint to draw level on points with Hansen.

Viviani was eight points clear of the pair and Hansen scored at the 13th sprint to move two points clear of Cavendish again.

Gaviria was 22 points behind and the question for Cavendish was whether to gamble a podium place in search of gold.

Viviani won the 14th sprint, with 20 laps and two sprints remaining, as Cavendish drew level with Hansen once more, before moving ahead with one point at the penultimate sprint.

With Viviani extending his lead, Cavendish and Hansen marked each other as Gaviria tried in vain to take another lap.

Cavendish held on, although there could yet be an intervention from the officials.

He celebrated with his family, wife Peta, four-year-old daughter Delilah and son Frey, who is one on Wednesday. Finnbar, Peta’s son from a previous relationship, was also present.

It ended a long wait for an Olympic medal.

Cavendish was ninth in the Madison with Sir Bradley Wiggins at the 2008 Games in Beijing, suffering the ignominy of being the only member of the track team not to win a medal.

He was 29th in the road race on the opening day of London 2012, as Britain felt the peloton conspired against the sprinter.

The 31-year-old Manxman will be 35 by Tokyo 2020 and may have achieved everything he wishes on the road by then, so another Olympic track bid should not be discounted.

He has achieved two of his 2016 goals - the Tour’s yellow jersey and an Olympic medal - and now will turn his attentions to the third, a second road race world title in Qatar in October.

Britain now have four golds and three silvers from six events entered after five days of action in the velodrome. Britain did not qualify for the seventh, the women’s team sprint.

Three events take place on Tuesday’s final day in the velodrome, with the potential for more success in the women’s omnium, through Laura Trott, the men’s Keirin, which features Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner, and the women’s sprint, with Becky James and Katy Marchant in the quarter-finals.

Trott, who took her third Olympic gold in the team pursuit on Saturday, began her bid for a fourth with second place in the scratch race which opened the women’s omnium.

Trott won the second discipline, the 3km individual pursuit, in 3:25.054 to take the lead.

She had 78 points, Sarah Hammer of the United States had 72 and Belgium’s Jolien D’hoore 72 ahead of the final discipline of the day, the elimination race.

James and Marchant, meanwhile, completed their day’s work by progressing to Tuesday’s women’s sprint quarter-finals at the first attempt.

James beat Virginie Cueff of France in her second round contest and Marchant defeated Germany’s Miriam Welte.

Defending champion Anna Meares of Australia is out. Meares, who beat Victoria Pendleton in the final four years ago, was beaten by Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong and then knocked out in the repechage.

James will meet China’s Zhong Tianshi in the best-of-three quarter-finals and Marchant is up against experienced Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaite.