MTB: Victor Koretzky from Hérault is vice-world champion in cross-country in Andorra

Victor Koretzky XinHua – LiYibo

In silver at the Paris Olympics in cross-country, the Frenchman Victor Koretzky took 2nd place in the event at the mountain bike world championships, Sunday in Andorra, behind the South African Alan Hatherly.

Neck and neck in the final loop with Hatherly, who had taken bronze at the Games, Koretzky, 30, was unable to respond to a lightning attack from his rival, who won South Africa's first title in this discipline.

Britain's Tom Pidcock, the defending champion who won gold at the Paris Olympics by narrowly beating Koretzky, completed the podium. His compatriot Charlie Aldridge, who led the race for a long time before being overtaken by the winning trio, finished in fourth position.

On Friday, Koretzky had won the short track title, where Hatherly had finished third, behind Aldridge.

Ferrand-Prévot 14th, Lecomte 6th

In the women's race, Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot failed to win a 6th world gold medal in cross-country, finishing only 14th in the event. For her last mountain bike race before returning to the road, the Frenchwoman, a few weeks after her Olympic title on Elancourt hill, near Paris, could do nothing against the Dutchwoman Puck Pieterse.

The young (22 years old) double reigning European champion, 4th at the Olympics and who won a stage of the women's Tour de France on the road this summer, crushed the race in front of her compatriot Anne Terpstra (at 59 sec) and the Italian Martina Berta (at 1 min 19 sec).

Loana Lecomte, the other Frenchwoman entered, finished in 5th place. Ferrand-Prévot, aged 32 and who won silver in short-track on Thursday, will make her return to the road next season, within the Visma-Lease a bike team.