Elia Viviani of Italy held off Great Britain's Mark Cavendish and reigning champion Norman Lasse Hansen of Denmark to win the gold medal in the multi-discipline men's omnium. 

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Viviani led his rivals entering the points race, the last in the six-discipline event, and did enough to hold off Cavendish and Hansen to win Italy's second cycling medal of the Rio Games.

Mark Cavendish, gold medallist Elia Viviani of Italy and bronze medallist Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark (Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

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Cyclists zip around the Rio Olympic Velodrome at incredible speeds (Photo: Getty Images/Elsa)

Cavendish, one of the world’s leading cyclists on both track and road, earned the Olympic medal that has long eluded him. He missed out at Beijing 2008 in the Madison and in the road race at London 2012 four years ago.

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The final race of the event, which is considered the 'decathlon' of cycling because it tallies points in six separate races, was briefly neutralised with 99 of the 160 laps left when Cavendish cut down the track and into Park Sang-hoon. The Republic of Korea rider left on a stretcher.

Park Sang-hoon before he crashed out of the men's omnium at the Rio Olympic Velodrom (Photo: Getty Images/Elsa)