Anna Plichta of Poland was first down the ramp on this one lap of the Grumari circuit which featured in Sunday’s road race at 8.30am local time. In Kristin Armstrong’s case, it should be called the race of the mind, where the most strong-willed win.
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Armstrong’s third win Thursday was an enormous victory because it secured her as the only cyclist ever – male or female – to win three consecutive gold medals in the Individual Time Trial.
When Van der Breggen couldn’t get to Zabelinskaya’s time and world ITT champion Linda Villumsen (UnitedHealthcare, New Zealand) only set the 5th best time at her finish, it became apparent that only Armstrong was able to challenge Zabelinskaya.
Boise cyclist Kristin Armstrong takes fourth Olympics for a spinTwo-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong of Boise ended a almost three-year retirement in April 2015 with her sights set on one more Olympic berth.
Armstrong competed with blood streaming out of her nose for the first half of the grueling hilly 18.5m course, battling through wind and the rain before speeding over the finish line. “It’s up to me?!” The Beijing silver medallist, who eventually finished 14th in 46:31.98, originally quit cycling in 2014 to focus on her triathlon and endurance running career before being enticed to come out of retirement last December for the chance to compete for another medal on a suitably hilly Rio course.
Savola said the first-place ranking was Armstrong’s answer to critics and those who said she did not belong on the United States team. “Olga gave me a hug on the podium and said “I saw your son” and she said it made her smile”.
Reigning bronze medalist Olga Zabelinskaya of Russian Federation celebrated prematurely when Armstrong fell behind with 10 kilometers left at Pontal. However, Armstrong, who had been a controversial selection for the Olympic Games, stormed home to take her third gold medal, beating Zabelinskaya by five seconds and equalling Leontien van Moorsel’s record of three road gold medals.
The time trial requires a cyclist to go from A to B. Whoever gets to B fastest wins.
Armstrong was met by her 5-year-old son Lucas at the finish line in Rio.
“People have asked me over and over why am I back, and it’s because I can”, she said.
“I have always loved that we were all born with the power to believe and to believe in ourselves”, Armstrong said later. “Why am I crying?” “That’s what we do; we cry when we’re happy”, she told him. She was allowed to cut her hours down to 16 hours a week last fall, she said, so her family’s health insurance would remain in effect while she trained for the Rio Summer Games.
“Every one of the gold medals has been a different journey”.
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“As a competitor and as an athlete in any sport, I always like to tell myself that we can only control our ‘controllables, ‘ ” she told reporters.
