Cyclist
Kristin Armstrong of the United States rides at the start of the
women's individual time trial event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in
Pontal beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 10, 2016.(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)
RIO DE JANEIRO — Kristin Armstrong
fought off wind, rain, and a tough Russian challenger to capture the
gold medal in the Olympic cycling individual time trial on Wednesday
morning, finishing with a time of 44:26.42. It is her third consecutive
gold in the event.
It was also a welcome birthday present for Armstong. She turns 43 tomorrow.
After
the race, she dropped off her bike and collapsed to the ground,
exhausted. Her son was then lifted over the fence and he sprinted into
her arms. They embraced just beyond the finish line as the cameras
flashed.
The American was the last cyclist to take off on the day,
and with the course becoming wetter by the minute in the morning rain,
some worried she wouldn’t be able to log a fast time with the worsening
conditions.
The worries were unfounded. The Boise, Idaho resident leaped out to a
quick start, logging the fastest 10-kilometer split of the day with a
time of 17:07.93, nearly five seconds better than the next competitor.
In
the next 10K split, Armstrong maintained focus, but lost some time,
dropping two seconds behind Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya, who had an
unreal late push to finish the race at 44:31.97. It would be good enough
for silver.
Armstrong’s place in Rio was not without controversy. Last month,
U.S. time trials champion Carmen Small called for an arbitration hearing
after she was left off the team, arguing that Armstrong had been chosen
unfairly. USA Cycling listened to Small’s argument, but ultimately
decided Armstrong would be on the team in Rio.
The third gold will
hopefully allow Armstrong to continue her campaign to help the public
understand that she is not the wife of Lance Armstrong, whose ex-wife is
also named Kristin. The gold medalist Armstrong is married to Joe
Saviola,
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