Australian track cycling great Anna Meares pays tribute to former Olympic teammate Melissa Hoskins
Track cycling great and current Olympic Chef de Mission Anna Meares and three-time world champion Annette Edmondson have paid tribute to former teammate Melissa Hoskins.
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She had an incredibly bright and amazing personality, was full of energy and one hell of a dancer – if you caught her doing it.
Melissa Hoskins has been remembered by former Australian Olympic teammate and friend Annette Edmondson as a “beautiful soul” following her tragic death after she was allegedly struck by a ute on Saturday night at Medindie in Adelaide.
And Australian track cycling great Anna Meares said she had a “very heavy heart” in the wake of the shock death of her former teammate.
Hoskins, a former professional cyclist and mother of two, died in hospital from injuries she sustained.
Her husband, former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life.
He has been bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13.
Hoskins, 32, competed for Australia at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the women’s team pursuit.
She was part of the Australian team that won the 2015 world championship and set a world record in the event.
Edmondson, a three-time world champion on the track, one of them in the team pursuit with Hoskins in 2015, said she would never forget the moments they shared together.
“She had an amazing smile and an infectious laugh,” Edmondson said.
“She was just full of energy and absolutely hilarious. She was the most incredible dancer as well if you caught her.
“I had the privilege of riding and racing and training with her for eight years from junior worlds until 2016 at the Rio Olympics and we had some pretty amazing moments along the way with a world record and a world title together (in 2015).
“I think that moment standing on the podium sharing that and singing the national anthem was one of the best moments of my life and I will never forget that.”
The shock death has sparked an outpouring of grief in the cycling world.
Hoskins has been described as a beautiful and great person who was loved by all.
Meares, who was a teammate of Hoskins in 2012 and 2016 and is Australia’s chef de mission for the upcoming Olympics in Paris, said she was devastated.
“I have a very heavy heart,” she said in a statement. “My thoughts are with their children, family and fellow friends.
“This is a very difficult and tragic time for us all.”
Edmondson, who is the assistant race director for the upcoming Tour Down Under, said Hoskins “just loved” her two children.
“It is just an absolute tragedy to lose such a beautiful soul who just adored her family and just loved those kids,” she said.
“Just sending all my love in the world to her family and friends and those she loved.”
Fellow teammate of Hoskins in the Australian women’s team pursuit, Amy Cure, posted a love heart emoji on an Instagram story of her and Hoskins catching up.
AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner said the organisation “will determine an appropriate way to memorialise her and her contribution to our sport in coming days”.
“It was with shock and sorrow that we learned of Melissa Hoskins’ tragic death,” she said.
“Melissa, a mother, daughter and wife, was also a champion cyclist who thrilled and inspired us with her exquisite skills on the track and road.
“Melissa began her competitive cycling career at just 16 and by the time she retired at the age of 25 she had shown the world that she was an athlete of rare prowess.
“As a member of the Australian cycling team she demonstrated elite endurance on the track and earned podium finishes in both team and individual events nationally and internationally.
“Melissa described her team pursuit gold medal at the 2015 UCI track cycling world championships as the highlight of her career but for the rest of us the highlight was just having her around.
“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.”
Team Jayco-AlUla, with whom Hoskins rode when it was called GreenEDGE Cycling, posted on social media that it was devastated to learn of her death.
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends and the whole cycling community at this deeply saddening time,” it said.
“She will never be forgotten.”
Originally published as Australian track cycling great Anna Meares pays tribute to former Olympic teammate Melissa Hoskins
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