Cyclist suspended after killing San Marino minister’s cat with air rifle

Trek-Segafredo cyclist Antonio Tiberi has been fined €4,000 (£3,500) and suspended by his team for fatally shooting a minister’s cat in San Marino.

The 21-year-old rider, a junior time trial world champion in 2019 and recent resident of the tiny republic landlocked within Italy, reportedly said he was trying out an air rifle and aimed at the cat’s head and fired.

The cat belonged to his neighbour, Federico Pedini Amati, San Marino’s minister of tourism and a former Captain Regent, or head of state, of San Marino.

“The cat didn’t bother anyone,” Pedini Amati was quoted as saying by Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper. “It had been with us for a long time. My three-year-old daughter Lucia loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a €4,000 fine,” he said.

“I appreciated that the boy admitted the fact. Having said that, we don’t need to give these people residence.”

Trek-Segafredo tweeted a statement revealing they had given the rider a 20-day suspension without pay and warning that “if necessary the team will take further action in the future”. The team also stated they would donate the pay to an animal charity.

“Trek-Segafredo would like to express its great disappointment in Antonio’s conduct. The team strives to help riders improve not just as athletes, but as men and women,” the statement continued. “The team will work closely with Antonio to ensure he educates himself and expects him to take the necessary steps to express his remorse and become a better person.”