Cycling BMX Review: Chausson and Strombergs enjoy golden Olympic debu

(BEIJING, August 22) -- BMX athletes delivered fireworks in the Men's and Women's events worthy of their Olympic Games debut in competition at the Laoshan BMX Venue on Friday, August 22.

Cool-headed world champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia fended off an all-American challenge to win the Men's gold medal.

Strombergs sailed through qualifying and semifinal competition to grab the coveted No. 1 gate start slot. He used this advantage to take the lead coming out of the first turn in the eight-man final.

Americans Mike Day and Donny Robinson tried in vain to rein in Strombergs, who hung on to win Latvia's first gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Day was fastest in his semifinals heat but had to settle for silver in the final.

Robinson crashed in the final leg of his three-run semifinal, which put him in the outside lane in the final, from where he hacked his way through the field to take bronze.

South African Sifiso Nhlapo's crash in the second turn of this wild gold medal run also took out Australia's Jared Graves and France's Damien Godet.

The chance of an Olympic medal lured Mountain Bike downhill queen Anne-Caroline Chausson of France out of retirement.

Fending off the pre-race favorite, Shanaze Reade of Great Britain, Chausson passed Reade in a daring inside pass on the first corner to claim the gold medal.

Chausson already had 13 world titles in three disciplines in downhill Mountain Bike, which is not an Olympic event.

Reade clipped wheels in a desperate attempt to pass Chausson in the third and final turn, only to crash out of the medals. France's Laetitia le Corguille avoided the crash to take the silver.

Jill Kintner of the United States, a three-time Four-Cross world champion, won bronze despite riding with injured knee ligaments.