Latvian Maris Strombergs wins first-ever Olympic men's BMX gold

Maris Strombergs, reigning world champion from Latvia, clinched the first-ever Olympic men's bicycle moto cross (BMX) gold.

Strombergs took the lead of the eight-strong final from the very beginning, and finished the run at 36.190 seconds, leaving Mike Day and Donny Robinson of the United States far behind at 36.606 and 36.972 respectively.

Strombergs won the title of the 2008 BMX world championships held in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, in last May. He is leading a new generation of European riders challenging the established U.S. Squad.

The world champion was fastest in the three runs that make up the semifinals to secure the preferred inside gate start position and notched Latvia's second gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.