Olympic cycling: Strombergs retains BMX gold medal

London, Aug 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Latvia's Maris Strombergs became the first Olympian to retain a BMX title with victory in the men's final Friday.

The double World Champion won the first Olympic men's BMX title in Beijing in 2008 and stormed to the front of the pack over the opening jumps before holding off a late charge from Sam Willoughby of Australia to take gold.

The silver went to Willoughby, while Carlos Mario Oquiendo Zabala took bronze for Colombia, just ten minutes after his compatriot Mariana Pajon won the women's final.

The men's race saw the only crashes in either final as Britain's Liam Philips went down as he landed after a jump halfway around the course, before Colombia's Andres Eduardo Jimenez Caicedo collided with Connor Fields of the United States.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

ss/abr/vt