Tomber parfois. Se relever toujours. Bravo Benjamin Thomas pour cette formidable médaille d’or, la première de l’Histoire olympique française en omnium.
"I can't believe it, it's a lifelong dream" - Brilliant Benjamin Thomas claim Olympic title in the Omnium
Track CyclingFriday, 09 August 2024 at 15:00
Benjamin Thomas is having himself a very successful year. After a first Grand Tour stage win on the road earlier this year at the Giro d'Italia, the 28-year-old Frenchman has now become Olympic champion at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on the track, in the Omnium.
"It's the dream of a lifetime, the day of glory for me. An incredible day, nothing could happen to me, the planets were aligned. I was on a mission," an emotional Thomas reflected after receiving his gold medal in a ceremony at the velodrome. "I can't believe it, it's a lifelong dream. Olympic champion is too big for me. When I was little, I didn't even think about it, being at the Games was a dream and doing this today, I don't have the words. It's going to take me a long time to believe it."
Whilst the Cofidis man did eventually succeed, there was a moment of worry as he crashed with around 20 laps to go in the final event, threatening to scupper his hopes. "I didn't want to panic, stay lucid, I saw that I didn't have anything broken, I was in pain everywhere but it wasn't serious, everyone is in pain," he reflects of the scare. "Afterwards, I saw that I was able to sprint so I told myself that it was good and in the end, it was the crowd who pushed me."
Thomas was a big favourite three years ago in Tokyo, but ultimately came up short, finishing 4th. This time though, in front of a passionate French crowd, Thomas would not be denied. "In Tokyo, they put the medal around my neck before the race even started and that is never right in sport," he recalls. "Sport is about defeats, disappointments. I went through some terrible things after Tokyo and I knew how to re-motivate myself. I am very proud today, there are many people I would like to thank, but those who know, I thank them."
"I ride my bike for fun. After the scratch, I said that I had enjoyed it and that I was going to enjoy it until the end," Thomas concludes. "There is competition, there is a stake but in the end, I had a blast on the track. It was really the pleasure that gave me the strength in the last laps."
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