Horrifying details have emerged surrounding the final moments of an Olympic cyclist who was allegedly run over and killed by her athlete husband outside her parents' home in Adelaide, Australia.
World cycling champion and Olympian Rohan Dennis was arrested and charged with the death of his wife after emergency services were called to Medindi, Adelaide's upscale northern suburb, at around 8pm on Saturday.
Melissa Hoskins, 32, was found with serious injuries and rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital.
She later died from her injuries at a hospital.
Police say Hoskins allegedly jumped on the hood of the $47,000 4WD Volkswagen Amarok Ute, grabbed onto the door handle and drove until Dennis fell to the ground. adelaide advertiser I will report it.
The mother-of-two may have been dragged for some time on the street, and it is believed the incident was captured on a nearby security camera.
The investigation into what triggered the alleged incident is still ongoing.
Detectives and Major Crash officers arrested Dennis and charged the two-time cycling time trial world champion with dangerous driving causing death, careless driving and endangering life.
He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13.
A police statement regarding the Medindi incident asks anyone with further information to contact Crime Stoppers.
Friends said Dennis and Hoskins, who have two young children, had married in 2018 and were planning a retirement in South Australia.
Dennis ended his 16-year career last year and the pair were considering starting their own vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Advertiser.
The couple have both competed in multiple Olympics, with Dennis winning silver in team pursuit in 2012 and bronze in road cycling in 2020.
Melissa Hoskins, who competed under her maiden name but went by Melissa Dennis on Facebook, had just missed out on a medal in the team chase at the London Olympics.
Meanwhile, the last photo of the family shared on Denise's Instagram page has been flooded with messages from fans sharing their disbelief and shock at the news.
A photo shared by Denise on Boxing Day showed her smiling with Hoskins and their two children in front of a Christmas tree with unwrapped presents under it.
Denise also shared a photo in December of herself smiling with Hoskins and another of her two children meeting Santa.
The 33-year-old also shared a photo from his family's trip to Egypt in November.
Many sporting organizations and fellow cyclists paid tribute to Hoskins following his tragic death.
This includes the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), which Mr Hoskins represented at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
“AOC would like to express its deepest sadness at the loss of Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins following the tragic events in Adelaide,” it said in a post on X.
“Our condolences go out to Melissa's family, friends and the cycling community at this very difficult time.”
Marne Fechner, chief executive of Australian sport's national governing body AusCycling, called Hoskins' death a “tragic incident”.
“A mother, daughter and wife, Melissa was also a champion cyclist who excited and inspired us with her exquisite skills on the track and road,” Fechner said in a statement.
“Melissa started her cycling career at just 16 years old and by the time she retired at 25, she had shown the world that she was an athlete of rare talent.
“Melissa described her team's pursuit gold medal at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships as a career highlight, but for us the highlight was just having her by our side. did.”
Former cyclist Anna Mears, who was also appointed chief executive of the Australian Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted a message of condolence on her social media channels.
“My heart is so heavy,” Mears said in a post to X.
“My thoughts are with their children, family and friends.
“These are very difficult and tragic times. RIP”
Hoskins' former team, GreenEDGE (now rebranded as Jayco-AlUla), similarly expressed sadness at the news.
“Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the entire cycling community at this very sad time,” the team said in a statement.
“She will never be forgotten.
– At NCA NewsWire
