Kieran Reilly clinched Team GB’s first gold medal at the European Games with victory in the men’s BMX freestyle park, as Declan Brooks took bronze.
Reilly, 21, posted an unassailable score of 92.33 points with his stunning second run, having already led with 88.96 on his first outing.
British team-mate Brooks looked set for silver with a first-run score of 87.40.
However, France’s Anthony Jeanjean denied a British one-two with the very last run of the competition in Poland.
Newcastle-born Reilly had to settle for silver behind Jeanjean, 25, at last year’s European Championships in Munich.
But Reilly, who also landed the world’s first-ever ‘Triple Flair’ in 2022, would not be denied on Thursday at Krzeszowice BMX Park.
A superb, trick-filled performance saw him become the first male rider to win a BMX freestyle park gold for Team GB.
“This has been the goal for the last year, pretty much,” Reilly said. “I’ve been chasing this with a vengeance for the past year to get a run down, at this event, which was 100%.
“I want to continue on this trajectory, keep aiming to win, keep going to these big events and qualify for Paris and, once we’re there, take top spot again.”
Jeanjean leapt from last place to claim silver, relegating Olympic bronze medallist Brooks to third, with a superb second run of 90.80.
In the women’s final, 19-year-old Briton Holly Pipe finished eighth with 55.66 points.
Her team-mate Sasha Pardoe did not start the final after injuring herself in training, while Olympic champion Charlotte Worthington chose to withdraw before the competition in order to focus on the Paris 2024 Games.
The European Games offers Britain’s BMX and mountain bike riders the chance to earn ranking points for Paris 2024 qualification.
