TOM PIDCOCK made sure to share an emotional embrace with his girlfriend after securing a gold medal for Team GB today.
Pidcock, 24, pulled off an incredible comeback to pip the French to Olympic gold in the Men’s Cross-country mountain biking this afternoon.
The Leeds lad retained his Olympic crown after winning gold in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 games.
Incredibly he overturned a 39-second gap to move from ninth to first after suffering a costly puncture in the third lap.
And after seemingly pulling off the impossible to fight his way to the finish line, Pidcock ensured he shared the moment with partner Bethany Zajac.
The Brit headed over to give Bethany a kiss and a hug as the pair were both left in tears at the emotional roller-coaster.
But after his fast pedals earned Pidcock his gold medal, the happy couple were all smiles as they posed for a picture together with the medal around his neck.
It wasn’t easy for Pidcock to win, and not just because of the distance he needed to make up.
But the Team GB hero also had to face boos from French fans after he pipped France’s Victor Koretzky to the victory with a controversial takeover.
Speaking to the BBC’s Hazel Irvine after his triumph, Pidcock broke down in tears while referencing the boo boys.
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The emotional star choked up as he said: “It wasn’t easy. I’m keeping my glasses on for a reason!
“The Olympics is so special. You never give up, in everything, and that’s what I had to do.
“I knew that Victor was going to be super fast in the last lap, even if I couldn’t get rid of him. So I knew it was going to be a big, big fight.”
Going on to discuss the moment he overtook Koretzky, adding: “He left a gap, so I had to go for it. That’s racing, some people might view it differently.
“I wanted to show what sport is, not giving up. It’s a shame the French were booing me, but you know…”
Pidcock has had a difficult build-up to the Olympic Games.
Earlier this month he was forced to pull out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid-19.
On the experience, he added: “I can’t thank everyone enough.
“Coming out of the Tour with Covid, everyone around me, we just trained perfectly for this.”
The victory is an early birthday present for Pidcock who will turn 25 on Tuesday.
By Rob Maul
IT WAS a bland course but not a bland race
That was one of the greatest, most exciting race wins for a British star in Olympic history.
In boiling heat, Pidcock edged out Victor Koretzky on the final metres.
The way he went for the race line as they went opposite sides of a tree was something F1 rider Max Verstappen would have been proud of.
They collided and he was booked by the French fans as their man settled for silver.
If we are making comparisons to F1 then the pitstop midway through was not very good.
The mechanics were a bit slow to deal with Pidcock’s front-wheel puncture but the Leeds cyclist showed his true Yorkshire grit on the gravel.
