Koretzky admits that the incident with Pidcock was a "racing incident"

The epic victory of Tom Pidcock at the Paris Olympics was somewhat overshadowed by the boos he received from the French crowd at the finish line and the singing of the French anthem on the podium when the UK anthem was playing. The reason was a very tough final pass with local cyclist Victor Koretzky. An incident that was only smoothed over when the Frenchman admitted in the subsequent press conference that it was a racing incident.

Victor Koretzky admits that the pass was a racing incident and that Pidcock was superior

Tom Pidcock won the gold medal after suffering a puncture while leading the race, after that he had to climb back up again to face a strong Victor Koretzky in the final lap who made things very difficult for him. Everything was resolved with an aggressive pass by Pidcock that ended in contact but was enough for him to win.

The British cyclist retains the Olympic gold in a legendary final lap and open battle against Koretzky. Goosebumps.

David Valero, tenth after a fall. #Paris2024 | #MountainBike pic.twitter.com/79V9xZ4Wki— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 29, 2024

At the finish line, Pidcock and Koretzky did not congratulate each other, they crossed paths several more times during the podium but the tension was clear between them. This encouraged the French crowd to continue cheering on their cyclist and sabotaging the celebration of the British.

The atmosphere only relaxed during the press conference after the podium, when Koretzky admitted that what happened was just a racing incident.

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"I think it was part of the race. We all wanted and fought for the same thing. That's competition. We fought until the end," explained a calmer and friendlier Koretzky after the podium.

"After his puncture, he showed everyone that he was very strong today. I missed my chance, but I think I played my own race until the end. I can be happy about that."

"I got an advantage, but then I went off track (Koretzky launched a final attack with which he passed Pidcock but then made a mistake and Pidcock passed him back) and he caught me again. Then he passed me in the forest. I didn't know he was on the left; he touched me and hit my shoe, then I almost crashed." 

"Racing in front of the French fans was incredible. From the beginning to the end of the race, there was an incredible atmosphere. I can't be sad. I am disappointed and happy at the same time," said Koretzky.