Fractured hand ends Miller's Olympic dream

Happy memories of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games might be in somewhat short supply for Alex Miller, after an enforced injury withdrawal during his second Games participation in the men’s cross-country mountain bike race in the French capital. A spiral fracture in the fourth metacarpal bone of his right hand brought a premature end to the challenge of the determined 23-year-old African continental champion from Namibia. Miller, who finished the 2021 Olympic Games race in Tokyo in 31st place as a 19-year-old, had a starting position in the back row of the star-studded bunch of just 36 qualifiers. Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius on a humid day in Paris made the eight laps of the 4.4 km course (total 35.2 km), each with 100 metres of vertical ascent, an even tougher challenge. Miller started off at a good pace, advancing to 24th spot halfway through the first lap and completing the lap in 29th. A flat front tyre however proved problematic, causing the farm boy from Helmeringhausen to stop and pump the tyre himself. National coach Hans du Toit explained after the race: “Alex had a good start and positioned him well in around 22nd to 24th position in lap one. “He hit a rock in lap 2 and lost air in the front wheel. There were also multiple punctures from other athletes in the race. “He stopped once in lap 3 to try and fix the leak, but it dit not resolve the issue. On his way to the technical zone he lost traction around a corner on the flat tyre and crashed, landing on his hand. “We changed the wheel and he continued for half a lap, but he was unable to hold the handle bar due to the pain. “X-rays revealed a fracture of the 4th metacarpal in the right hand. We are hoping to get it operated on this morning (Tuesday) to speed up the recovery.” South Africa’s Alan Hatherly, an early race leader, made history by winning the country’s first-ever medal (bronze) in mountain biking. Pidcock, the generational talent Britain’s Tom Pidcock defied a puncture to retain his Olympic mountain bike title in astonishing fashion in Paris. The world champion, who turns 25 today, edged out Victor Koretzky with remarkable skill, having once trailed the French rider by as much as 40 seconds. His fourth-lap puncture, while leading the race, looked to have ended Pidcock's chances, but he again demonstrated his generational talent on the mountain bike to move his way back up the standings. Having caught Koretzky by the start of the final lap, he proved his mettle when the Frenchman sprung a surprise attack in the closing stages to take the lead again. Pidcock ruthlessly found a different line through the trees with his superb bike-handling skills as he edged ahead and then came off best after brief contact between the pair. “The Olympics is so special, you never give up, you give everything, and that is what I had to do,” Pidcock told BBC Sport. “I knew that Victor was going to be fast in the last lap even if I couldn't get rid of him. “I knew it was going to be a big fight, and he left a gap and I had to take it. That's racing. I know people might view it differently but sport is about not giving up.” It was a route derided by defending champion Pidcock as “bland” and not challenging enough for mountain bikes, but in the end, it would prove enough of a challenge for the top mountain bike racers in the world. British team-mate Charlie Aldridge, the under-23 world champion, was eighth on his Olympic debut. But Pidcock's Games do not end there – the Ineos Grenadier is doubling up to contest the road race on Saturday. Pidcock later called it his most “emotionally draining” victory – but refused to be drawn on whether he will return to defend his title a second time at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. – Additional reporting, BBC Sport