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He thought he had won cycling gold at the Olympics. But it was not like that

2021-07-25T23:47:53.013Z


Annemiek van Vleuten from the Netherlands crossed the line in road cycling at the Tokyo Olympics and thought she had won. But it was not like that.


Discipline, Olympians' lesson to humanity 0:54

(CNN) -

Annemiek van Vleuten, a cyclist from the Netherlands, raised her arms, with a face of ecstasy and joy.

That's what you do when you think you have won Olympic gold ... except that she hadn't won it.

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That honor went to Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer, who took advantage of her rival's confusion in the women's road cycling race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to claim a surprising victory.

"When I crossed the finish line, I thought I had won," said Van Vleuten, a silver medalist.

Kiesenhofer gave the performance of his life to outshine a group of big names and win the race, finishing in just under four hours.

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The 30-year-old Austrian broke away from the lead group more than 40 kilometers from the finish and endured the demanding 147 kilometer course in intense heat to win Austria's first gold medal in cycling since 1896.

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What happened?

Kiesenhofer spent much of the rest of the race so far from the peloton that was chasing her that she lost sight of the other riders.

Anna Kiesenhofer, Olympic gold winner in Tokyo.

(Photo: Tim de Waele / Getty Images)

Cyclists run without headphones at the Olympics and that contributed to Van Vleuten's confusion, according to the 38-year-old Dutchwoman.

"This is an example (of what happens) if you run an important race like this without communication. All World Tour races have communication, and now the three of us are here wondering who really won," added Van Vleuten, referring to his teammates Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen.

"I'm heartbroken about that, of course," Van Vleuten said.

But he was also happy to get a medal after suffering a terrible fall during the road cycling race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I am very proud of the medal, because I did not have an Olympic medal. It is also a shiny silver medal, because today I felt very good," commented Van Vleuten.

"My goal was to be at my best here, and I think I achieved it. It is not the result we expected, but personally I think I had a very good race."

Annemiek van Vleuten took silver in the women's road cycling race at the Tokyo Olympics.

"Zero energy in my legs," says the cyclist who won the gold

Kiesenhofer, who currently does not have a professional contract, did not start playing the sport until 2014, turning professional three years later.

According to the Olympics website, the Austrian said her ambition was "to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo."

Without a doubt, it achieved that and much more.

Kiesenhofer is not just an accomplished cyclist: she has a Master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge (England) and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona (Spain).

"My legs were completely exhausted. I had never exhausted myself so much in my entire life. I could hardly pedal anymore. I felt like there was zero energy in my legs," Kiesenhofer said after his gold medal success.

"I couldn't believe it. Even when I crossed the finish line, it was like saying, 'Is it done yet? Do I have to keep pedaling?' Incredible," he added.

"I've really sacrificed a lot for today. I didn't expect to end up like this. I've sacrificed everything, even for a top 15 spot, and now getting this, for the sacrifices, is such a great reward, it's unbelievable."

Dutch Annemiek Van Vleuten (left), silver medal;

the Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer (center), winner of the gold;

and Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini (right), a bronze medalist, celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's road cycling race.

The Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, who finished third, was also surprised by the development of the race.

"I thought the Netherlands had everything in their hands, but in the end, sometimes, when you play tactics too much and you think you are the strongest, you lose the race," said Borghini, winning bronze for the second Olympiad in a row.

Cycling Olympics Tokyo 2020

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-07-25

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