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Belgium's Van Avermaet prevails in brutal Olympic road race

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium outsprinted Jakob Fuglsang and Rafal Majka on the long run to the finish at Copacabana Beach on Saturday to win the men's Olympic road race.

Van Avermaet threw his arms in the air and let out a roar when he crossed the line, blowing a kiss to the sky. Fuglsang took silver and Majka coasted contentedly across to take bronze.

The race was thrown open on the final descent of the Vista Chinesa climb, when Italian star Vincenzo Nibali and Colombian counterpart Sergio Henao crashed on a sharp bend after building a lead

Majka was with them and managed to stay upright, but he was eventually reeled in near the finish.