Olympics: Denmark win men's Madison

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Denmark pair Michael Mørkøv and Lasse Norman Hansen won a tense, high-speed and crash-hit men’s Madison to take the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The pair rode a calculated race, making efforts to take points when possible and responding to major attacks from France and Belgium.  

Denmark carefully scored a total of 43 points, winning some sprints and cleverly placing in others during the 200-lap and 20 sprint race. 

Mørkøv lifted Denmark to second place with a sprint victory with 140 laps left to race and then they went in search of a lap with Hansen. However they were quickly chased down and switched tactics when France attacked alone. 

Denmark helped keep the pace high to stop France gaining a lap and so 20 points, while also scoring other points in the sprints. That strategy lifted them above France and Great Britain with 80 laps to race and they then controlled their tiring rivals.

Great Britain’s Matt Walls and Ethan Hayter rode aggressively early and were the early race leaders. They faded mid-race but then went on the attack to win the final sprint to secure the silver medal ahead of France’s Benjamin Thomas and Donavan Grondin. Both scored 40 points but the final sprint decided the medal order. Thomas and Grondin were the most aggressive of the race, spending 20 laps out front mid-race in an attempt to take a lap. However, their major rivals eventually closed them down.  

Belgium’s Kenny de Ketele and Robbe Ghys gave it everything with a late attack but they were caught just before the final sprint, turning a chance of gold into fourth place.     

The USA pair of Adrian Hegyvary and Gavin Hoover crashed hard during a hand sling change at half distance and failed to finish, while Germany, Austria and New Zealand were also caught up in crashes.

Italian pair Elia Viviani and Simone Consonni struggled to compete in the sprints and eventually lost a lap to finish tenth.  

Mørkøv played a vital role in helping Mark Cavendish win four stages at the Tour de France and then switched to track mode to prepare for the Madison in Tokyo. Denmark won the world title in 2020 and confirmed their skill and speed yet again. 

"I've been a wreck of nerves all this week. I knew we had a huge chance of becoming Olympic champions, and right now I do not think it has sunk in," Mørkøv told Danish television, close to tears as the Danish national anthem was played in the velodrome during the medal ceremony. 

"All week I have been afraid that I would burst into tears."