Kristin Armstrong celebrates her win with her son Lucas, five. “It’s up to you what color of medal you want.’ And I was like, ‘Well, it’s up to me?'” It doesn’t matter your age. That it doesn’t matter what you become.
Advertisement
Kristin Armstrong crosses the finish line in the women’s individual time trial on Day 5 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Pontal on August 10, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
This win marks Armstrong’s third consecutive Olympic gold medal.
How could it be anything but? She was struggling, and Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya – fresh off an 18-month suspension for testing positive for banned substances – was close behind her.
Lucas, who will be 6 in September, had joined her on the medals podium four years ago in London but didn’t grasp the magnitude of her accomplishment.
But it wasn’t a smooth ride for her to reach the Summer Games.
Armstrong powered through driving win and rain on a brutal course to finish 5.55 seconds ahead of silver medalist Olga Zabelinskaya of Russian Federation.
“I can’t imagine not bringing this experience to my son, ” Armstrong said. “That’s what we do, we cry when we’re happy!”
That overload of emotions was entirely understandable.
After the race, according to The Washington Post, Armstrong spoke about refusing to let others put limitations on her: “I have always loved that we were all born with the power to believe and to believe in ourselves”. That’s when her coach, Jim Miller, stepped in via radio.
“He said, ‘You’re in the medals. It might be a back to normal job”, she said. “That hit me really hard”. But he says how she did it is remarkable.
“I don’t have words to describe it”, she told reporters after learning she won. “That’s how I am”.
Armstrong – the last of the 25 cyclists to race Wednesday morning – was the reigning champion, having won gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012.
Kristin retired from the sport after the 2012 London Olympics.
For Mike and the entire Boise cycling community, it’s a huge milestone for what may be Armstrong’s final chance to represent the US. “All of a sudden, I think my speed went from about 48k an hour (nearly 30 mph) to 53k an hour (nearly 33 mph)”. She has won two world championships, in addition her Olympic titles.
“I’ve had the hardest journey this Olympics that I’ve ever had”, she said.
Two-time defending Olympic champion Kirstin Armstrong (Twenty16-RideBiker, USA) and Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv, The Netherlands) lined up as favourites and Van der Breggen could write history by winning another Olympic gold medal after her win in Sunday’s road race.
Advertisement
Armstrong somehow had another tank of energy and made the 4 second gap to Zabelinskaya from the second time split into a 5.5 second advantage at the finish line.
