A medal for Mark after months of training in Manchester
Mark Cavendish bags an elusive Olympic medal at last.
The Manchester-based cycling champion Mark Cavendish secured the Olympic medal which has proven so elusive with a silver in the men's omnium - but a crash threatened to extend his wait.　
After eight years of trying Cavendish spent much of the winter 2015/16 training for the Omnium event at the Manchester Velodrome, determined to get a place on the podium in Rio.
A mid-race crash appeared to be of Cavendish's own making, but there was no protest as South Korea's Park Sanghoon was taken out of the Rio Velodrome on a stretcher.
He finished behind Italy's Elia Viviani, while defending champion Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark took bronze.
Cavendish collected his silver with 194 points, as Viviani won with 207 points and Hansen settled for third with 192. World champion Fernando Gaviria of Colombia was fourth on 181 points.
The Great Britain rider appeared to have several confrontations with the media in the mixed zone as he was questioned about the incident, with some reporting he threatened to sue them for suggesting he did it deliberately. Cavendish did admit responsibility.
It was my fault,'' Cavendish said.I should've looked where I was going a bit more. I hope he's all right.
I apologised to Elia, who went down.''
Cavendish had a 16-point deficit entering the concluding points race. Twenty points were available for gaining a lap, but Cavendish was heavily marked and Viviani's advantage was too much to bridge.
Instead Cavendish had to fend off attacks from riders vying to depose him from the podium, steadily accumulating points in the sprints which came every 10 laps to take silver.
I kept trying to go. It was difficult. It was a strange one,'' Cavendish added.
I'm always going to be a marked man. And I decided halfway I couldn't get a lap; no-one was going to let me 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 the halfway point it was going to be difficult to get a lap and I'd just have to pick off sprints one by one.
Ultimately I couldn't have done any more. I have to be happy.
Elia was better across the six disciplines. He deserved to win that Olympic gold.
It's always disappointing not to win, but I did all I could, so yes, I'm happy.''
PL