A REMARKABLE performance by Malvern cyclist Liam Killeen earned a dramatic bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games' inaugural men's cross-country mountain bike race at Bolton's Rivington Park on Monday (July 29).

The 20-year-old from Cromwell Road averaged more than 20 kilometres per hour over the 39-kilometre course, finishing in a time of 1:55:34, just two minutes 46 seconds behind Canadian gold medallist and outstanding world champion Roland Green, who was celebrating his 28th birthday.

A crash involving New Zealand rider Kashi Leuchs took place early on in the race, after which it settled down into a pattern with Green and fellow Canadian Seamus McGrath, the only other two riders to average more than 20kph, swapping places in the lead.

Killeen rode a controlled manner over the six laps, chasing the leaders and doing enough to stay ahead of a resurgent Leuchs and clinch a place on the podium. He finished in style by riding down the finishing straight waving an England flag to massive cheers from the crowd, which included many members of his family.

After the race, Killeen spoke of his delight at the result, achieved on the highest stage at which he has ever raced.

"I'm very pleased," he said. "It's the first time there has been mountain biking at the Common-wealth Games and it was great to be involved.

"It was great to get a medal," he added. "I had good legs today, and I knew if I could keep up with those guys for a couple of laps, I had a chance for the bronze."

He admitted that he spent the final lap simply protecting his medal instead of going for a riskier pace but he still finished nearly three minutes ahead of fourth-placed Leuchs.

Killeen paid tribute to the whole England team and the crowd for getting behind him. He said he felt particularly shouted for, with his family travelling from Malvern to cheer him on.

"It has to be an advantage to be a home rider," he said. "The crowd took me to another level. I have never experienced anything like that before."

A week ago, Killeen also claimed the National Mountain Bike title for Espoirs (under-23s) and is being tipped by many to become one of the sports all-time greats.