• Former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas bags bronze despite crash
Australia’s two-time individual world time-trial champion Rohan Dennis won Commonwealth Games gold yesterday as former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas took bronze despite a crash.
Dennis’s victory over the 37.4-kilometre course in 46min 21.24sec made it a clean sweep for Australia after favourite Grace Brown won the women’s event (40min 5.20sec) over 28.8km.
Dennis, the 2014 Commonwealth silver medallist, made it to the top of the podium after winning in Wolverhampton.
“I’ve finally got that top step,” said the 32-year-old, who won silver in the team pursuit on the track at the 2012 Olympics. “It’s taken 12 years, since Delhi (2010 Games).
“I definitely didn’t come close to that top step there but 12 years later I finally got it. But it is a different feeling being on that top step.”
Thomas’s hopes of adding time-trial gold to the road race title he won in 2014 were dashed when he fell early in the ride.
He picked himself up but had to settle for bronze behind England’s Fred Wright, who took silver.
The 2018 Tour de France winner said he had only himself to blame for the fall.
“I did a recon (reconnaissance) ride, but that was in traffic with no barriers up so it was pretty pointless really.
“I was thinking it was a sweeping left and suddenly it was barriers with a leg sticking out.”
He added: “Sometimes it’s bad luck, but today I’ll take it on the chin and say it was my fault. It’s frustrating, but to still come away with a medal is satisfying.”
Thomas, who finished third in the Tour de France last month, has another chance of gold in Sunday’s road race.
However, the 36-year-old faces a formidable rival in the form of the Isle of Man’s Mark Cavendish.
“Once we start it won’t be friendly at all,” said Thomas. “Cav has got a strong team around him and it’s a good course for him. It is going to be a war of attrition.”
Brown said she had tried not to think too much about having “the target” of being favourite on her back.
“It’s a landmark” said the 30-year-old. “From an Australian perspective, to be a gold medallist at a Commonwealth Games is something Australian sport acknowledges.
“That’s super special despite the fact cycling in the Commonwealth Games isn’t huge.”
Meanwhile two-of-three members of the Sri Lanka Commonwealth Games team who had been reported missing have been located,” the West Midlands police said yesterday.
The Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee confirmed the missing athletes were wrestler Yoda Pedige Shanith Chathuranga, judoka Marappulige Chamila Dilani and judo official Tikiri Hannadige Duminda Asela De Silva.
The West Midlands police would not confirm the names of which members had been found and were continuing their investigation into the third missing person.
“Two people – a woman in her 30s and a man in his 40s, were reported missing on Aug. 1,” said the West Midlands police in an email to Reuters.
“Both have now been located and are no longer missing.”
