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Dual Olympic champion Paola Pezzo of Italia will strive for her third Olympic gold medal in the women's mountain bike cross country at Athens Olympics on 27th.

After three years away from the top-level competition, the Italian rider, aged 35, decided to make a comeback to defend her title at this event, where 30 women will ride approximately five laps of the course, with two climbs and a technical descend.

Pezzo, who ranked fifth both in the Olympic course at the test event in May, won the dual title at Atlanta Olympics and Sydney Olympics, when the cycling mountain bike was first introduced.

Nevertheless, the Italian rider will face strong rivals like 2002 world champion and 2003 World Cup winner Gunn-Rita Dahle of Norway, bronze medallist at Sydney Olympics and 2001 world champion Barbara Blatter of Switzerland and silver medallist at Sydney Marga Fullana of Spain.

Reigning world champion Sabine Spitz of Germany is improving her form by winning bronze in the European Championships in Polandat the start of August.

Bronze medallist of Atlanta Olympics Alison Sydor of Canada was second at the 2003 World Championships and finished third at the Olympic test event this May.

Editor: Lu Ziqing