PARIS: Australia has captured gold in dramatic fashion in the men’s team pursuit at the Olympic velodrome, defeating Great Britain after a late blunder by the opposition.
An Australian team featuring Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O’Brien took gold in a time of 3:42.067.
With that victory, Australia took its Paris Games gold medal tally to a record-equalling 17, matching the number of golds won at Athens 2004 and Tokyo 2020. It was Australia’s third gold medal in two hours, after dinghy sailor Matt Wearn and skateboarder Keegan Palmer won their competitions.
LIVE UPDATES: Follow all the action from day 12
READ MORE: Gold for Matt Wearn in back-to-back Olympic glory
READ MORE: Wild celebrations as Aussie skateboarding superstar wins back-to-back gold medals
The race was neck-and-neck throughout with the lead changing several times.
When the bell rang to signal the final lap, Great Britain was still in contention, trailing the Australians by just 0.168 of a second.
But the British cyclists got tangled up moments later, ruining their chances of stealing gold at the death.
Crossing the finish line, the Australian team was overwhelmed by its achievement.
“It was honestly a blur,” O’Brien said on Nine’s coverage following the race.
“My legs were pretty tired from the past couple of days and the first few laps of the race.
“It was quite tight in the end and the Olympic final is unlike anything else and it exposes everything in every team.
“These three guys standing next to me executed an amazing ride.”
Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
Australia’s Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O’Brien celebrate. AP
It was an unforgettable victory for the team, especially following its difficult experience at Tokyo 2020, where Alex Porter suffered a devastating crash.
At that Olympics, the team’s sole medal was a bronze, marking Australia’s worst performance in Olympic track cycling since Moscow 1980.
Welsford, who was part of the team, expressed his pride in securing gold.
“I’ve completed the set now and that’s always been my dream, to get a bronze, silver and gold,” Welsford said.
Just before the gold medal race at the velodrome, Italy had beaten Denmark to win bronze.
– With Allanah Sciberras