A FORMER world cycling champion has been charged over the death of his Olympian wife after he allegedly ran her over with a car.
Rohan Dennis, 33, was arrested after the alleged crash and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, careless driving and endangering life.
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Rohan Dennis has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after allegedly running over his wife in a carCredit: Instagram
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Melissa Dennis was taken to hospital but later died from her injuriesCredit: nine
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Just six days ago, Rohan posted a tragic last photo with his wife and children Credit: Instagram
Mum-of-two Melissa Dennis was rushed to hospital with serious injuries and died a short time later.
The 32-year-old was hit by a vehicle on a tree-lined street in the inner-northern suburb of Medindie, South Australia, at around 8pm on Saturday.
Dennis’ neighbor told 9News the couple had just moved into their home on Avenel Gardens Road a week ago with their two young children.
A neighbor called the incident “tragic” and said: “We’ve never seen a scene like this on this street. It was pretty horrible to see.”
Just six days before the alleged incident, Rohan posted a tragic final photo of the family together in front of the Christmas tree.
The caption read: “Merry Christmas from our family to yours”.
Both were top cyclists, and Rohan took home a silver Olympic medal in 2012 and a bronze in 2020.
Melissa missed out on a medal in 2012 by a fraction of a second, but won team gold in the women’s pursuit at the 2015 World Championships – breaking the event record in the process.
Team GB cycling legend Laura Kenny posted a tribute to Melissa, saying: “A truly lovely person. RIP Mel.”
In 2015, Rohan set the record for the longest distance covered in an hour and started the Tour de France from pole position after winning the first stage of the individual time trial at record speed.
Despite a good start, Rohan finished the tour outside the top 100.
He is the winner of the 2015 Sir Hubert Opperman medal and trophy for Australia’s best all-round cyclist.
Rohan announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 season through a heartfelt post on Instagram, devoting a large portion to a message to his wife.
The post read: “Thank you Melissa Dennis for supporting me throughout my professional career while raising the two best children I could ever wish for.”
Melissa’s death marked the 114th life lost on the state’s roads this year.
That’s a significant increase from the 71 who died at the same time last year.
Following the charges, Rohan was released on bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13.
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Rohan is an Olympic silver and bronze medalist in cycling Credit: EPA
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Melisa was also a top cyclist and missed out on an Olympic medal in 2012 by a fraction of a second. Credits: Avalon.red
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Melissa’s death marked the 114th life lost on the state’s roads this yearCredit: Instagram
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British team legend Laura Kenny posted a tribute to Melissa
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