PARIS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Jose Torres Gil of Argentina won the Olympic gold medal in the men's BMX Freestyle final in Paris on Wednesday with Britain's Kieran Reilly taking home the silver and home favorite Anthony Jeanjean grabbing the bronze.
Torres Gil mixed technical skill with acrobatic ability, courage and an ability to pick his lines, ensuring that he kept up speed for a series of moves to earn him a stunning 94.82 points in his opening run.
He was then able to hold off the competition, with Reilly scoring 93.91 points in his second round.
"It's hard to explain what I feel, I'm trying to enjoy the moment and not cry," said Torres Gil after his stunning one-minute display, which pushed the limits of what is possible on a BMX bike.
"It's crazy that I am here at the Olympics, the biggest competition on the planet - I know I had to come here and give it my all," he said, adding that his win was the culmination of "all the work of my life."
Reilly was also delighted after hitting the heights in front of a packed stand, with his family all watching.
The rider from the northeast of England, said the level of performance was "the highest level of competition in a final that I've ever seen."
"Everyone really wanted it and it showed," he said, impressed at how the sport has developed since it made its first appearance in Tokyo.
"The riders are finding more and more marginal gains, becoming athletes like in any other sport. We're trying to get ahead of each other. Everyone's clearly had very, very good preparation, because that level of riding was just off the charts."
"Hard work pays off. I know every sacrifice I've made has got me here, and I'm ready to go and do that with an even better mindset in the run-up to the next Games," added Reilly.
Jeanjean overcame a fall at the very start of his first run to net 93.76 points in his second and take the bronze, although he and the fans packing the stands in the Place de la Concorde had hoped for more.
"I'm a bit disappointed," he admitted. "I wasn't coming for the bronze but for gold. That's how it works, I gave everything. I fell on the first run, that's not easy to continue for the second."
Australia's Martin Logan finished last in the final, with the reigning Olympic champion making significant errors on each of his runs. ■
