Paris, July 30 (IANS): Defending champion Tom Pidcock produced one of the great rides to snatch his second gold medal in the men's mountain bike cross country at the Paris Olympics on Monday. The British rider overcame a front wheel puncture that saw him drop 36 seconds through the race to overtake France's Victor Koretzky as they battled head-to-head in the final stretch of the race.

Pidcock finished the eight circuits of the 4.4-kilometre course in one hour, 26 minutes and 22 seconds, nine seconds ahead of Koretzky and with South Africa's Alan Hatherly claiming the bronze medal two more seconds back.

Pidcock's win means he successfully defends the gold he won in Tokyo and comes a day before his 25th birthday, reports Xinhua.

The 36 men, representing 27 nations, tackled eight laps of the man-made course that featured fast compacted gravel, a challenging drop-off, and tough rock garden features. For half the race, Koretzky had promised a French double, following Sunday’s victory for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, but despite the deafening support, it was not to be. Pidcock recovered the time lost due to the puncture to take glory.

“This week, with the Olympics there are so many things to consider by the time you get to the start line. I knew that it would not be easy today,” said the new Olympic Champion, Tom Pidcock. “I knew after the puncture that I had almost five laps, and that’s 50 minutes, so I thought, anything’s possible.

“In the end, it was really fast with Victor, I just couldn’t get rid of him! I just had to go for a gap. The Olympics is no different. I’m sorry for him, the support for him was incredible,” he added.