A cyclist from Australia has been charged in the death of his Olympian wife. On Sunday, the Australian Olympic Committee announced the death of former world champion Melissa Hoskins. Shortly after the announcement, multiple outlets reported that husband, Rohan Dennis, was arrested and charged in the death of his wife, per PEOPLE.
Hoskins, 32, was struck by a car in Adelaide on Saturday and died after being rushed to the hospital. According to the Australian outlet ABC, Dennis, 33, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life. According to police, Dennis was “bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 13 March.” Police also said that the death of Hoskins marked the “114th life lost on SA roads this year, compared to 71 at the same time last year.”
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Hoskins and Dennis married in 2018 and retired with two children. Hoskins, a cyclist, competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She also won a world championship in an event in 2015. “Melissa described her team pursuit gold medal at the 2015 world championships as the highlight of her career but for the rest of us, the highlight was just having her around,” AusCyling chief executive Marne Fechner said in a statement Monday, per the Associated Press. “Although she retired in 2017, her presence as an alumnus of the sport has been felt and appreciated by many in the cycling and riding community.”
Dennis won two World Championships and earned a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics in London. He also became the seventh Australian to wear the yellow jersey as race leader at the Tour de France by winning the opening time trial in 2015, setting a race record for his average speed. Hoskins and Dennis were scheduled to take part in the Tour Down Under in Adelaide later this month.
“We are devastated by the news of Melissa Hoskins death. It’s an extremely tragic situation which has seen the loss of a young mum and champion cyclist,” Tour Down Under organizers said in a statement Monday. “Given the circumstances, Rohan Dennis will no longer be participating.”
