Emma, 28, suffered a broken back when she was run down by a car and left in agony by the roadside on her way to training at Manchester's Sportcity.
The accident in October 2005 wrecked her preparations for the Commonwealth Games but she famously fought her way back to fitness to win a bronze medal in Melbourne just five months later.
Motorist Stephen Craig, 47, who drove away from the crash without stopping, claimed that he had known nothing about the accident.
The train service manager denied the charges against him, telling a court that he may have mistaken the impact for the noise of his car driving over a manhole cover. But after Emma gave evidence against him yesterday, he was found guilty at Manchester magistrates' court of three motoring offences.
Sentence was adjourned until Wednesday for reports but the judge ruled out prison.
District judge Diane Baker told Craig: "Emma Davies Jones is a professional cyclist and an elite athlete. The story you gave about the manhole cover is utter nonsense. I believe you did not stop when you were fully aware of the collision."
Speaking after the case, Emma said: "I am absolutely delighted he has been found to be a liar. I have been through so much over the last year that I would have lost faith in justice if he had been found not guilty."
Craig, of Denton Court, Ashton Road, Denton, was on his way to work when he turned left at traffic lights into Gorton Road as Emma was cycling alongside him. Emma was on her way to Sportcity from her home in Alsager, near Crewe.
She told the court: "When he hit me, I was screaming my head off. I was just trying to make him aware that I was there. Every time I moved, there was a really sharp pain in my back and I could not move my legs."
Taxi driver Philip Norcross followed Craig, trying to get him to stop, and took the registration number of his car.
Craig told the court that he knew nothing of the accident until he phoned home and his wife told him that the police wanted to speak to him about an accident with an Olympic cyclist. "I was devastated. I was absolutely gutted," he told the court. "I did not know how it happened or where it had happened."
He contacted police that night and went to West Didsbury police station the following morning where he was arrested.
Peter Grogan, defending, said that although Craig now accepted he had hit Emma, he had genuinely not known at the time and the crash itself was just a "coincidence of circumstances".
But he was found guilty of failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and driving without due care and attention. Tweet
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There is a difference when you run over a manhole and a person who happens to be attached to a bike....
Sorry mate, you need to lose your licence for this for a long time for your safety and that of other road users.
Firstly, the main thing is that Emma is OK.
Without commenting on this case specifically, because we will never know the 'truth' sometimes you do hit manhole covers, or run over something in the street that makes a noise which is unexpected. Just last night in the high winds my car was 'hit' by something whilst driving along in heavy traffic - I don't know what it was but thankfully I know it wasn't a person.
A lot of cyclists (and before you say anything I don't mean Emma) are a danger to themselves and other road users - how many can you see at the moment without lights and wearing dark clothing - a lot of the time the car driver is automatically blamed when a car and bike come together.
Hopefully justice has been done in this case and as I say I am pleased that Emma did so well after the event.
good result - drivers generally don't really give cyclists the space they need. infact there are 3 types of drivers:
1. those that care and give us room.
2. those that just don't realise we are there.
3. those that see and don't like us.
I cannot believe that the judge ruled out prison. Emma could have died or been paralyzed for life.
I am all for riding bikes instead of using cars and they should be given a little more respect on the roads, saying this however, any vehicle on the road including bikes should have a form of insurance. I used to work in London and lost two doot mirrors smashed and had the side of my car scratched many times by inconsiderate riders.
I've been on both sides of this fence, as well as being on the more painful end of this type of incident. The comment about 3 types of motorist also unfortunately applies to cyclists. Good to see the truth appears to have come out in the wash in this case.
as a car driver and cyclist i get increasingly frustrated by drivers who take the skin off my calves they come so close, and at speed, some seem to do it on purpose, likewise the cyclists who dont look, they just pull into the road, dont have lights and dont seem to think they need to stop at traffic lights. i'm glad emma is ok.
I am delighted that Emma has won this case, and hope she suffers no long term effects as a result of her injuries.
I'm in full agreement with Chris of Stretford, re 3 types of driver. A cyclist or pedestrian will always come off worst in a collision with a motor vehicle.The only difference between a car and a bullet is the size of the piece of metal.
Should in my opinion get at least 2 years in side. and banned for life
I think hit and run deserves prison as a deterrent. If you are unaware you have hit a cyclist then you are either a liar or such a dope that you should be banned for life just in case. Cycling should be encouraged and would help against obesity and reduce traffic congestion for other vehicles, BUT the roads are simply too dangerous without cycle lanes and without stricter policing of illegal vehicles. We need cycle lanes, preferably on pavements and therefore protected by the kerb from vehilces, then it will be safe for all, especially children to cycle. Small children should always cycle on pavements, life comes first.
Kids under 10 are legally allowed to ride on the pavements. Driving to work this morning in torrential rain i nearly wiped out 2 postmen coming from the Sharston depot... they didn't have one light on their bikes between them and it was pitch black.
Cycling is the way forward, buy a folding bike and use it in conjunction with public transport ... you cant beat it.