GB’s Hatton wins gold in men’s mountain bike downhill

Venues: Glasgow and across Scotland Dates: 3-13 AugustCoverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and app.Great Britain’s Charlie Hatton claimed gold in the men’s mountain bike downhill at the Cycling World Championships in Fort William.Hatton, 25, put in a superb run in rain-lashed conditions with fellow British rider Laurie Greenland taking bronze behind Austria’s Andreas Kolb.”It is absolutely insane. I am lost for words,” Hatton told BBC Sport.”I knew I was riding well this weekend but I never expected the win. I hit all my lines and had a really good run.”Victory for the unfancied Hatton sparked wild celebrations at the finishing line as he became the fifth British rider to win the world crown since the event was first staged in 1990.The event provided Great Britain with their second and third medals of the day after Cat Ferguson took silver in the women’s junior road race.Sam Ruddock and Blaine Hunt successfully defended their men’s C1 and C5 1km time-trial titles as Britain made an excellent start to the evening’s para-track cycling programme in Glasgow.Ruddock watched on anxiously as Li Zhangyu went last but punched the floor in delight when the world record holder was only able to post the third best time, with Li’s compatriot Liang Weicong securing the silver medal.Meanwhile, Hunt was more than a second faster than American Christopher Murphy and Belgian Niels Verschaeren. Earlier on Saturday, British hopes of a medal in the women’s mountain bike downhill were dashed as Austria’s Valentina Holl defended her title on the final run, that gold-winning effort pushing Britain’s Louise-Anna Ferguson into fourth.Five-time former winner Rachel Atherton finished eighth despite dislocating her shoulder in practice.Switzerland’s Camille Balanche and France’s Marine Cabirou won the silver and bronze medals.

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