Australian former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis yesterday said that he loved his wife and never wanted to hurt her in his first public comments since receiving a suspended prison sentence over her death.
Dennis, an Olympic medalist in 2012 and 2021, avoided jail last year for driving in a way “likely to cause harm” before his car struck and killed his fellow Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins in 2023.
He instead received a nearly 17-month suspended sentence given his guilty plea to an “aggravated act likely to cause harm,” his remorse and role as sole carer of their young children.
Photo: AP
“Yes it was an accident,” Dennis said in a lengthy statement on social media that lashed out at his treatment by the media. “I loved Melissa and the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt her. Never in my life has any physical aggression crossed my mind in any disagreement with Melissa.”
A court heard the incident happened after the couple had an argument over house renovations.
Dennis drove off to calm down, but Hoskins jumped onto the car hood.
He carried on slowly driving for up to 10 seconds, the court heard, before Hoskins opened the door to the moving car, tripped and was dragged underneath.
Dennis slammed media allegations that suggested he was a “husband who abused his wife,” and journalists’ “pathetic” pursuit of him and his children for “cheap clicks.”
“I have ALWAYS been against any sort of abuse against women and especially the one who gave birth to my children,” he wrote.
“Time for all you so-called journalists and media outlets to back off and leave my family alone,” he added.
Dennis won the world time trial in 2018 and 2019, as well as taking a 2015 stage win in the Tour de France.
He was a team pursuit silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze medalist in the time trial at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Hoskins represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, but did not win a medal.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS