Rissveds wins Olympic MTB cross country gold

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Sweden's Jenny Rissveds claimed gold Saturday during the Rio Olympics mountain bike Cross Country race, outpacing Poland's Maja Wloszczowska after the two set the lead pace over the second half of the race. Canada's Catherine Pendrel finished third to take the bonze.

Switzerland's Linda Indergrand set the early pace in the six-lap race, coming through first to start the second lap, followed nine seconds later by Wloszczowska, Jolanda Neff (Switzerland) and Rissveds.

Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Norway) lingered another four seconds back, followed by Emily Batty (Canada) at 23 seconds and Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) 24 seconds back.

On the second lap, Indergrand ceded her lead to the chasers, with Rissveds, Neff and Wloszczowska forming a new lead trio that took charge going into the second half of the race.

Rissveds led the lead group through the start/finish to start lap four, holding a three second advantage over Neff and four seconds over Wloszczowska.Neff paid for her efforts to keep up with Rissveds, however, losing contact with the Swedish rider and Wloszczowska.

Going into the penultimate lap, Wloszczowska led Rissveds through the start finish, with Neff falling further off the lead pace, and a trio of Catherine Pendrel (Canada), Emily Batty (Canada) and Nash chasing nearly a minute later.

Neff continued to fade over the fifth lap, with both Pendrel and Batty passing her, while Nash fell off the pace of the Canadian pair, who battled each other for the final medal spot.

Starting the sixth-and-final lap, Wloszczowska led Rissveds through the line, with Pendrel chasing solo 30 seconds back, and Batty another eight seconds in arrears. Nash was in the fifth spot, 49 seconds down.

Rissveds powered away from Wloszczowska over the rocky technical sections in the beginning of the lap, and from there the 22-year-old Swedish rider smoothly powered over to the line and the gold medal.

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