Fourth for Cooper

Mountain biking: New Zealand crosscountry rider Anton Cooper finished fourth at the third round of the world cup in the Czech Republic yesterday.

Romanian Vlad Drascalu and Tokyo Olympic champion Tom Pidcock edged clear on the final climb on the last lap, the British rider winning his second world cup in the sprint finish. Nino Schurter, of Switzerland, was third.

‘‘It was my best race since Tokyo for sure. When you have a good feeling, it adds fuel to the fire and you can hang in there with the top guys,’’ Cooper said.

‘‘Nothing beats that feeling to be at the pointy end of a world cup race in front of 20,000plus spectators is pretty cool.’’ — RNZ