Points Race, Men

The Olympic points race had been conducted with a round of heats followed by a final since it was first held in 1984. But in 1996, 28 riders were entered and only a final was raced, held over 40 km. The defending World Champion was Italy’s Silvio Martinello. He took the lead early in the final and won the gold medal relatively easily. Six riders remained together on the final lap, with Canada’s Brian Walton winning the final sprint to move up to a silver medal. The bronze medal went to Australia’s Stuart O’Grady. O’Grady had a cardiac condition, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), and the day before the points race had suffered a seizure, but recovered to race despite that. Martinello would also win the 1997 World Championships.