SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France : A gold medal narrowly eluded Portugal’s Iuri Leitao in the track cycling omnium on Thursday but if they were handed out for sportsmanship, he would surely be top of the podium.
He was involved in a thrilling battle with Frenchman Benjamin Thomas in the decisive points race when leader Thomas lost control and crashed heavily on the wooden boards.
Victory must have flashed in front of world champion Leitao’s eyes but a battered Thomas was able to continue and spark wild celebrations as he rode to gold.
Epitomising an Olympic spirit in an often win-at-all-costs world of modern world, the 26-year-old Leitao said a victory because of someone else’s misfortune would have been hollow one.
“I was hoping he could he could return, it will be so unfair if he couldn’t,” Leitao, whose silver was the first Portuguese track cycling Olympic medal, told Reuters.
“If I won the gold because of a crash would be super disappointing. We’re here to be better than our competitors not to win by some kind of mistake or bad luck. So I’m happy with the silver and I think he was a worthy winner.
“He was the strongest, he was the smartest and was super consistent.”
