In the final, Fields said he got off to the best start of his career, going 1-2 with Long out of the important first turn before breaking ahead.
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Fields, who lives in Las Vegas and attends UNLV, finished seventh in the event at the 2012 London Games.
American cyclist Alise Post took silver in the women’s race behind Mariana Pajon of Colombia. “After all that I have been through, to be able to win bronze is just something extraordinary”.
A fan favourite, Pajon raised her bike in the air after pedalling to a stop across the finish line, acknowledging the adoring crowd in the stands waving the yellow, blue and red flag of her home country.
Fields completed the course in 34.642 seconds, holding off Dutch rider Jelle van Gorkom by.674 seconds.
The colourful band of Colombian fans populating the X Park had even more to celebrate when Pajon retained her Olympic title.
“If only my 14-year-old self could see this now, ” Fields recounted. “But tomorrow I am going to wake up, and it is going to be real”. “I had great legs but Pajon had a great race”. Officials went to a video replay to determine that medal.
The United States Olympic Committee has condemned the behaviour of the four swimmers involved and promised a review into the incident.
“Connor is the first (American) gold medalist in BMX”.
“It wasn’t the medal that I was racing for”, commented runner-up Post.
BMX power Australia had a disappointing showing. Fields took second in the first two heats of the semis, then placed sixth in a third heat in which he almost wrecked when he got tangled up with another rider.
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Willoughby and Post are engaged, with a wedding date set for April.
