Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis pleads guilty to new charge after wife Melissa Hoskins’ death

Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has pleaded guilty to driving recklessly before the death of his wife and fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.

Mr Dennis made the shock admission at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, almost a year on from the date of the horrific incident.

Mr Dennis was behind the wheel of a dark grey Volkswagen Amarok when he hit Ms Hoskins on December 30, 2023 about 8pm outside their leafy home in Adelaide’s inner-north.

Ms Hoskins, 32, suffered serious injuries in the crash and paramedics took her to Royal Adelaide Hospital for further treatment. She died at the hospital.

Police arrested Mr Dennis that weekend and charged him with cause death by dangerous driving and aggravated driving without due care.

Those charges were dropped on Tuesday and replaced with a single new charge of aggravated creating likelihood of harm.

Mr Dennis admitted to driving a motor vehicle without lawful excuse when Ms Hoskins was on or in close proximity to that vehicle, knowing that act was likely to cause harm to another and being recklessly indifferent to whether such harm was caused.

The clean-cut Olympic medallist, dressed in a sharp suit, stood quietly in the dock before Magistrate Justin Wickens and said “guilty” as the charge was read out to him.

The maximum penalty for the offence is seven years in prison.

Jane Abbey KC, appearing for Mr Dennis, told the court her client was not being held responsible for Ms Hoskins’ death.

“There was no intention of Mr Dennis to harm his wife and this charge does not charge him with responsibility for her death,” she said.

Mr Dennis’s change of fortune has been swift and shocking.

Just three years ago, he stood on a podium in Tokyo and celebrated his place in sporting history as an individual Olympic medallist.

He first achieved fame at the 2012 London Olympics, nabbing a silver medal in the 4000m team pursuit on the cycling track.

At Brazil in 2016, he finished in fifth place in the individual time trial, but perhaps his crowning achievement is his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28, 2021.

In memorable scenes at the Fuji International Speedway, he clinched the medal with a time of 56:08.09.

Speaking at the time, Mr Dennis said he had done “everything possible” to take home the gold.

“Obviously would’ve been great to get the gold but I’ve done everything possible to be in this position and I was just beaten by two better guys on the day, so can be proud of everything myself and the team have achieved,” he said.

In 2017, he became engaged to Ms Hoskins, a fellow Olympian.

Ms Hoskins competed in the London and Rio Olympics in track cycling.

She only just missed out on a medal in London, finishing fourth in the 3000m team pursuit category.

In Rio, she finished fifth position in the 4000m team pursuit.

In 2018, the pair married, and would settle into a home in up-market Medindie with their two children.

In 2022, Mr Dennis won a gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in the UK.

In 2023, he retired from cycling, thanking Ms Hoskins for her support in a heartfelt post to social media.

“Thank you Melissa Dennis for supporting me throughout my entire professional career, all while raising two of the best kids I could ever ask for,” he said.

Melissa’s father Peter, mother Amanda and sister Jessica released a statement on January 2 expressing their heartache at her death.

“Words cannot convey our grief, sadness and the tragic circumstances of Melissa’s passing,” Mr Hoskins wrote on behalf of the family.

“Myself, Amanda, Jess and families are utterly devastated and still struggling to process what has happened.

“Not only have we lost a daughter and sister, her children have lost their mum, a freewheeling spirit, a giver with a big heart, patience and zest for life.”

Hundreds of mourners gathered to farewell the world-class cyclist at a public service in Adelaide on February 24.