Italy's lead rider Paolo Bettini outsprinted Portugal's Sergio Paulinho to win the gold medal in the Olympic men's road cycling race here on Saturday.
The 30-year-old Italian made his move two laps from the finish to join 24-year-old Paulinho in a desperate sprint for the line and win the gruelling race under a baking sun in five hours 41 minutes 44 seconds.
Belgium's Axel Merckx made a determined effort to peg back the front two in the final lap of the 17-lap 224.4 kilometre odyssey around Athens city streets and under the Acropolis.
The race took its toll on the 144-strong field and many fancied contenders either retired or faded out in the final stages.
Bettini threw his arms into the air as he crossed the finish line in his greatest cycling achievement having been twice a World Cup winner in 2002 and 2003.
Bettini and Paulinho went into the bell lap holding a 25-second lead over the main chasing bunch and it came down to Bettini's superior finishing speed to claim gold for Italy on the opening day of Olympic competition.
Germany's Erik Zabel was fourth 12 seconds down, followed by Slovenia's Andrej Hauptmann.
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