The waiting is over for Mark Cavendish as the Manx Missile claimed his first Olympic medal at the third attempt with silver in the men’s omnium at Rio 2016.
Cavendish, who missed out on the track at Beijing 2008 and the road at London 2012, held off the charge of Denmark’s Lasse Hansen in a dramatic points race - the last of the six disciplines.
Italy’s Elia Viviani took gold with a final points tally of 207 with Cavendish finishing with 194 and Hansen 192 and the 31-year-old admitted he was still a little disappointed not to have been the man on the top step of the podium.
“Ultimately I have to be happy and Elia was better across the six disciplines and deserved to win that Olympic gold,” said Cavendish.
“It’s always disappointing not to win but I did all I could and the same for the guys behind me.
"I realised I was a marked man from pretty early on so it was difficult. I’m always going to be a marked man and I decided halfway that I couldn’t get a lap so I had to get the sprints.
"I felt incredible. I could see people dying and I felt better and better but I knew at halfway I wouldn’t be able to get a lap.
Cavendish began the evening session sat in third, 14 points behind Viviani in provisional gold medal position and eight clear of Hansen in fourth.
A third place in the flying lap maintained the spot before a tense points race saw Cavendish chip away at his rivals with consistent sprinting to move into second.
The silver was Team GB’s seventh medal on the track in Rio and 41st overall and the winner of 30 Tour de France stages was quick to point to the team behind the riders as a vital component in their success in Rio.
"I’ve had such great support. We’ve rushed the medals here as Great Britain. We have got the best bike riders in the world but what’s been forgotten the past few days is we have the best staff behind us
"It’s a massive team and one that really wants to win and it’s quite emotional, especially for me. I needed those people in what was my third ever international omnium.”
Elsewhere, Laura Trott’s dominance of the women’s omnium continues as the defending champion leads after two wins in the individual pursuit and her favoured elimination race.
Trott, who is looking to become the first British female to win four Olympic titles, sits on 118 points, eight clear of Belgium Jolien D’Hoore.