Cross, Men

This had proved a popular event when introduced in 2006, and the drama continued in Vancouver. After the qualification round, Australia’s Alex Pullin had the fastest time, but he was eliminated in the first round as he crashed out of his heat. France’s Pierre Vaultier one of the favorites based on his form during the season, when he won four of the five World Cup races, was also eliminated in his quarter-final heat. The pre-season favorite, Austrian Markus Schaier, who had dominated the 2008-09 season, went out in the first round. Reaching the final were the United States’ competitors Seth Wescott, the reigning Olympic champion, and Nate Holland, winner of the event at the X Games four consecutive years (2006-09). Tony Ramoin (FRA) and Mike Robertson (CAN), who surprised the home fans by reaching this stage, joined them in the final. In the final itself Robertson excited the home crowd by leading from the start until around ¾ of the way down the track when Wescott overtook him and just held on to cross the finishing line first. Ramoin won the race for the bronze medal. Holland, the fourth finalist, crashed early in the race and never threatened for a medal.