Olympic medallist Alan Hatherly wins world cross country title

Cross country cyclist Alan Hatherly closed out his season in style on Sunday, winning gold at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Andorra.

Hatherly, who earned bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris last month, was superb on the final day of the global MTB showpiece.

Facing a quality line-up in the elite men’s race, the South African rider dropped French opponent Victor Koretzky on the final lap, storming clear to win gold in 1:09:51.

He finished well ahead of the rest of the field, with Olympic silver medallist Koretzky crossing the finish line 22 seconds off the pace in second position. Olympic champion Tom Pidcock settled for bronze, another 17 seconds further back.

Making history, Hatherly became the first South African to win a senior world cross country title.

Short track medal

Earlier in the week at the World Championships, Hatherly had also grabbed bronze in the short track race.

In a tightly contested battle, he ended third in 21:52, with Koretzky snatching victory. The top four men all finished within three seconds.

Candice Lill also did well in the elite women’s cross country race, finishing fourth in 1:11:04, just four seconds outside a place on the podium. Dutch rider Puck Pieterse won gold in 1:09:41.