Austria celebrates sensational gold in the road cycling race – bronze for Italy

Anna Kiesenhofer won Austria's first gold medal at these games on Sunday. The 30-year-old from Lower Austria surprisingly won the road bike race and thus duped the highly favored exceptional team from the Netherlands. Kiesenhofer single-handedly won the demanding race after 137 kilometers with 2700 meters of altitude ahead of the Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten and the Azzurra Elisa Longo Borghini.

Both at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games and at the most recent 4 World Championships, the women's race has always been a clear affair for the Dutch selection. This year too, the Oranje team had several options for victory, but the star ensemble gambled away.

Elisa Longo Borghini took third place. © APA/afp / GREG BAKER

In the early stages of the race, Kiesenhofer had pulled away from Anna Plichta from Poland and Omar Shapira from Israel and had gained a lead of more than 10 minutes. In the main field, the favorites reacted too late. The Dutch increased the pace, Annemiek van Vleuten finally broke away with 53 kilometers to go, but was unable to maintain the pace. Shortly afterwards, Kiesenhofer drove away from her two escape companions and crossed the finish line as a celebrated soloist.

The Weinviertel native won the first cycling Olympic gold for Austria since Adolf Schmal in 1896 in the twelve-hour race in Athens and the first ÖOC gold at the Summer Games since the 2 victories by triathlete Kate Allen and the Tornado sailors Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher in Athens in 2004.

Olympics, women's cycling road race (137 km) Pos Name Country Time 1. Anna kiesenhofer Austria 3:52.45 hours 2. Annemiek van Vleuten Netherlands +1.15 minutes 3. Elisa Longo Borghini Italy +1.29 4. Lotte Kopeky Belgium +1.39 5. Marianne Vos Netherlands +1.46 6. Lisa Brennauer Germany +1.46

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Austria celebrates sensational gold in the road cycling race – bronze for Italy

Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer caused a sensation in the women's road cycling race at the Olympic Games. The Azzurre were also able to celebrate a medal.

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