Leandre Bouchard (Canada) and Andre Fonseca (Costa Rica) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Nino Schurter and Jaroslav Kulhavy (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Kulhavy, Schurter, Coloma (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Mix Zone, post race interviews (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Olympic Champion, Nino Schurter (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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The Race Start (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Marco Aurelio Fontana (Italy) leading at Start (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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The Start (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Nino Schurter and Jaroslav Kulhavy (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Carlos Coloma and Nino Schurter (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Nino Schurter (Switzerland) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Leandre Bouchard (Canada) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Having crossed the line, Nino Schurter (Switzerland) circles around to celebrate his gold medal (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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A dissapointed Julien Absalon (France) crosses the line (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Julien Absalon (France) takes in the race after finishing in 8th (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Jens Schuermans (Belgium) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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The men's race get's underway (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Bad luck to break a chain on the start loop - Phetetso Monese (Lesotho) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Victor Koretzky (France), Kohei Yamamoto (Japan), Daniel McConnell (Australia) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Peter Sagan moves up on the start loop (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Jose Hermida (Spain) racing his 6th and probably final Olympics (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Daniel McConnell (Australia) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Daniel McConnell (Australia) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Carlos Coloma (Spain) leading Nino Schurter and Jaroslav Kulhavy (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Julien Absalon (France) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Maxime Marotte (France) and Luca Braidot (Italy) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Julien Absalon (France) never seemed to get going (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Peter Sagan (Slovakia) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Howard Grotts (USA) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Ruben Scheire (Belgium) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) leads on lap 1 (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Shlomi Haimy (Israel) was with the leaders until a flat (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Mathias Fluckiger (Switzerand) leads the chasers (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Victor Koretzky (France) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Jhonnatan Botero Villegas (Colombia) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Marco Fontana (Italy) and Peter Sagan (Slovakia) both had flats (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Peter Sagan (Slovakia) had his hopes dashed by flat tires (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Grant Ferguson (Great Britain) riding to 17th (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Victor Koretzky (France) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) congratulates Nino Schurter (Switzerland) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Spain) celebrates his bronze medal ride (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Silver medallist Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Spain) is thrilled with bronze (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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The men's podium (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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The men's Olympic MTB race (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Peter Lombard II (Guam) about to hit the deck (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Peter Lombard II (Guam) crashes hard (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Manuel Fumic (Germany) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Carlos Coloma Nicolas (Spain) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Samuel Gaze (New Zealand) (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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L to r: Jaroslav Kulhavy, Nino Schurter, Carlos Coloma (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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Nino Schurter, Olympic Champion, FINALLY (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
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the men get ready to start their race.
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Andrea Tiberi of Italy
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Alexander Gehbauer of Austria
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Andras Parti of Hungary
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Rubens Donizete Valeriano of Brazil
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Leandre Bouchard of Canada
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Howard Grotts of the United States
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Dimitrios Antoniadis of Greece
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Peter Sagan runs with his bike after his puncture
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Peter Sagan runs with his bike after his puncture
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Nino Schurter goes airborne on his way to Gold.
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
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Alexander Gehbauer of Austria
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Second placed Czech Republic's Jaroslav Kulhavy, winner Switzerland's Nino Schurter and third placed Spain's Carlos Coloma
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Peter Sagan runs with his bike after his puncture
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The men's race gets underway.
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The men's race gets underway.
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Nino Schurter on his way to winning gold
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
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Second placed Czech Republic's Jaroslav Kulhavy, winner Switzerland's Nino Schurter and third placed Spain's Carlos Coloma
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
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Coloma lays on the gorund after the race
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Schurter congratulates Kulhavy
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Nino Schurter celebrates his Olympic gold medal
World Champion Nino Schurter (Switzerland) proved to be the strongest Sunday during the Olympic MTB cross country race in Rio, riding away from the leaders in the closing laps to take the gold medal ahead of Jaroslav Kulhavy (Czech Republic) and Carlos Coloma (Spain).
Road world champion Peter Sagan (Slovakia) put in an impressive opening lap, moving smoothly from the back of the field into the lead group by the end of the first circuit, but his Olympic-medal dream came to a quick end when a flat tire at the beginning of the second lap knocked him out of contention.
Schurter took the early lead with Coloma, but Kulhavy soon joined them as Coloma lost the pace. France's Julien Absalon faded to two minutes back as the leaders set a blistering pace.
Starting the fifth of seven laps, Schurter and Kulhavy had 30 seconds on a two-man chase of Coloma and Maxime Marotte (France), while Switzerland's Mathias Fluckiger was chasing in fifth, more than a minute behind. The lead duo held an initial gap of more than 30 seconds over Marotte and Coloma, who by this time appeared to be racing for bronze.
Schurter left Kulhavy behind as they approached a technical rock section, opening a gap that he would hold until the finish. The Swiss riders started the final lap with a 33-second gap over Kulhavy, while Marotte and Coloma were 1:19 behind.
Schurter continued to open his gap over the final lap, holding a 44-second gap to Kulhavy at the halfway point and 1:50 over Coloma and Marotte.
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