Tom Pidcock remarkably defends Olympic cross-country mountain bike title at Paris 2024 - as the Team GB star fights back from a puncture to win gold

Tom Pidcock defended his Olympic mountain bike title in dramatic fashion as the Team GB star fought back from a puncture to clinch gold in stunning style.

Pidcock had been leading the race after three laps before disaster struck when he was forced change bikes following the mechanical issue.

The 24-year-old dropped to ninth place due to the puncture, with the British star facing a 40 second deficit to France's Victor Koretzky at the halfway mark of the race.

Pidcock produced a stunning ride to close the gap, catching Koretzky as they entered the final lap of the race.

The duo were joined by South Africa's Alan Hatherly with the trio battling it out for the medals.

Koretzky launched an attack to distance his rivals on the final lap, but Pidcock chased back to regain contact again.

Pidcock dramatically took the lead in stunning fashion as he and Koretzky nearly colliding after the Britain audiciously overtook the Frenchman in the closing stages.

His move would prove the decisive moment with the reigning champion then sprinting to the finish to end nine seconds clear.

French star Koretzky was left settling for silver, with Hatherly ending a further two seconds behind to take bronze. 

Pidcock had also been forced to overcome a challenging build-up to the Games after being forced to leave the Tour de France following a positive Covid-19 test.

The cyclist revealed ahead of the Olympics that he had been positive for six days, before recovering in time to defend his title.