The husband charged over the death of cycling champion and mother-of-two Melissa Hoskins has made a surprise appearance at her funeral.
Ms Hoskins’ life was cut tragically short on December 30 when her husband, fellow professional athlete Rohan Dennis, allegedly struck her with a luxury car outside their $2.45m home in Adelaide.
More than 100 mourners gathered at the West Chapel at Fremantle Cemetery to farewell Ms Hoskins on Wednesday.
He is believed to have entered the chapel through a separate entrance to the other mourners.
The program for the service included a photo showing a proud moment from her cycling career and a list of her key achievements in the sport.
Ms Hoskins’ body arrived in a white hearse. The wooden casket was carried into the chapel covered in yellow sunflowers. Her two young children attended the service.
In his welcome, ABC Broadcaster Clint Wheeldon said Ms Hoskins was “adventurous, brave and lived life to the fullest.”
“It is most likely Mel would want us to get on with our life,” he said.
“She had time for everyone. Her achievements and her legacy will never be forgotten.”
Ms Hoskins father Peter gave the eulogy but struggled to begin as he wept.
He said she was not just a daughter, but also a mother, wife and granddaughter.
“She was always doing something when she wasn’t listening to music and just bopping around”, he said.
He said she loved sport and tried playing football with the boys, swimming, surfing, teeball, netball, basketball and even cheerleading. “We did the lot,” he said.
He said that her gold medal and world record – smashed by three seconds – in the team pursuit at the UCI Track World Championships in France was her career highlight.
“She was a giver, would lend anything to anyone,” he said. “She loved to cook and entertain.”
He said she loved gin and tonic, and encouraged everyone to have a generous serve tonight.
He said we are celebrating a life that was cut short. “We are grieving, all of us,” he said.
“There should have been more.”
In her tribute, sister Jess cried as she recalled Ms Hoskins as her best friend.
“I already feel so lost and lonely,” she said.
She remembered their trampoline competitions when they were younger and who could do the most laps in the pool without taking a breath.
She also shared a funny story about Ms Hoskins’ having an imaginary friend named Danielle, saying she had to beg her sister to play with her over Danielle.
She vowed to help care for her two children. “Every time I look at them I see you,” she said.
“This has been the most difficult two weeks of my life.”
A montage of pictures, including with her children and her sporting achievements, was played to the songs Perfect by Fairground Attraction Chords and George Ezra’s Shotgun.
A memorial service will also be held in Adelaide after the Tour Down Under cycling event.
Mr Dennis, a former world champion cyclist and Olympian, has been charged with causing his wife’s death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life.
The 33-year-old, who is yet to enter pleas to the charges, is on bail and is scheduled to face Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13.
Police have not revealed details of Ms Hoskins’ death, but it has been reported she allegedly jumped onto the bonnet of the $70,000 dark grey 2022 Volkswagen Amarok Highline V6 and grabbed at a door handle before the vehicle drove off and she fell to the ground.
It is further alleged she may have been dragged along by the vehicle, with the incident captured on a neighbour’s security camera.
Ms Hoskins and Mr Dennis became trackside sweethearts during the London Olympics in 2012.
They married in February 2018 and split their time between Girona in Spain, La Massana in Andorra and Adelaide.
Their son was born in 2018, followed by a daughter in 2021.
The young family recently settled into their Adelaide colonial mansion, which they had purchased in 2019 but rented out for a few years.
TRIBUTES
Ms Hoskins has already been remembered by her parents, Peter and Amanda, and sister, Jess, as a “freewheeling spirit” and “a giver with a big heart, patience and zest for life”.
In a statement, the family said they were “utterly devastated and still struggling to process what has happened”, acknowledging that her children had also lost their beloved mother.
“She was the rock of their life and ours, and we need to honour her memory so they can grow up knowing who she was, what she stood for and what she gave to everyone whose life she touched,” they said.
“The outpouring of sadness and support has overwhelmed us. In her short life, Melissa has had so many positive touch points in and around the world.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Raised in Kalamunda, in the Perth Hills, Ms Hoskins was a student at Walliston Primary School, then Carmel Adventist College.
She started competitive cycling aged 16, specialising in gruelling endurance events.
Later, Ms Hoskins enrolled but did not complete a Bachelor of Sports Science at Murdoch University from 2010 to 2012 and was a member of the Elite Athlete Program.
She also completed one unit at Curtin University.
CYCLING CAREER
Ms Hoskins was part of Australia’s ride-off for bronze in London but the three-rider squad was defeated by the US.
Four years later, Australia’s four-rider team was expected to challenge Great Britain for gold at the Rio Olympics.
But she suffered an injury and although she rode the first two rounds, she sat out the final where the team finished in fifth place.
Ms Hoskins won gold in the women’s team pursuit at the 2015 World Championships.