American Kristen Faulkner pulled off a stunning upset to win the gold medal in the women’s road race at the Paris Olympics, capitalizing on strategic mind games to secure the biggest victory of her career.
Faulkner, along with Belgian Lotte Kopecky, caught the leading pair of Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos and Hungarian Blanka Vas with just 3.4 kilometers remaining. She then unleashed a powerful acceleration that left her rivals hesitant to chase.
Vas, Vos, and Kopecky all eyed each other, reluctant to expend their remaining energy, allowing Faulkner to ride to victory by the Eiffel Tower. The 31-year-old was so overwhelmed by her triumph that she crossed the finish line without celebrating despite her commanding lead.
Vos won the ensuing sprint among the three to claim silver, while Kopecky took bronze.
“We managed to bridge the gap (with Vas and Vos) and we all looked at each other,” world champion Kopecky told reporters.
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“On paper, Marianne was the fastest sprinter so it made me think and I did not want to make the effort. So I focused on getting a medal.”
The first decisive moment came when American Chloe Dygert crashed on a corner just before the Butte Montmartre climb, causing a bunch split.
Kopecky was on the wrong side of it but she managed to fight her way back in the descent before Vos and Vas pulled away.
Belgium coach Ludwig Willem justified Kopecky’s risk-averse strategy.
“It is indeed a poker game, you keep an eye on one another,” he told reporters. “One cannot say she played it badly. At this level, one is fighting for an Olympic title, one has to take risks, and you can end up with bronze instead of gold, but she also could have ended up in fourth position.
For Vos, a 14-times world champions across four cycling disciplines, it was a missed opportunity to add to her London 2012 road race title and 2008 Beijing points race gold medal on the track.