Cross-Country, Men

France’s Julien Absalon had won the World Championships earlier in 2004 and had won numerous World Cup races in the past year. He raced at the front of the Olympic race for the first half, and then pulled away to win by exactly one minute over Spain’s surprise silver medalist, José Antonio Hermida. The bronze medalist, Bart Brentjens (NED), had won the first Olympic gold medal in this event in 1996. Absalon would soon establish himself as the top mountain biker in the world. He would win four consecutive World Championships (2004-07) and defended his gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. The defending World Champion and 2000 silver medallist was Belgium’s Filip Meirhaeghe. But in July 2004, he was caught using EPO, and suspended for two years. He admitted to doping, stating that he wanted to become an Olympic champion badly. He made a comeback in 2006, and was able to compete at the 2008 Olympics.