Cyclist Charged in Connection To Olympian Wife’s Death

(USNewsBreak.com) – Bystanders called police to a residence in Medindie, Australia, on Saturday, December 30, with reports of a woman struck by a vehicle. They later identified the victim as Melissa Hoskins, an Olympic cyclist. She died Sunday, December 31, of her injuries at Royal Adelaide Hospital. Now, South Adelaide police authorities have charged her husband with her death.

After Hoskins’ death, police revealed that she knew the person who had hit her while she was riding her bike. Authorities charged Rohan Dennis, another Olympian cyclist, with driving without due care, endangering life, and causing death by dangerous driving. The couple married in February 2018 and shared two children.

Former cycling world champ Rohan Dennis reportedly charged after Olympian wife Melissa Hoskins killed by car https://t.co/5tct5WQkew

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 2, 2024

In the days following her death, more has come to light about the incident, which neighborhood surveillance cameras reportedly caught. Hoskins had apparently jumped onto the hood of the couple’s vehicle and was grasping for a door handle. Dennis allegedly drove until his wife fell off the vehicle, during which time the car might have dragged her along the street.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident and have asked anyone in the area who has any information to call Crime Stoppers. As for Dennis, police arrested him, and he posted bail. The court has scheduled his next appearance in March.

The Australian Olympic Committee posted on X, formerly Twitter, expressing its condolences to Hoskins’ “family, friends and the cycling community” for their loss. She started her career in competitive cycling at 16 and retired at 25 as a two-time medalist. Hoskins won a silver medal in the 2012 World Championships, and her team earned a gold medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2015.

Both Hoskins and Dennis planned to participate in the Tour Down Under this year. Organizers expressed their devastation over her death and noted that Dennis is no longer a participant.