Rissved’s huge success – takes Olympic bronze: “Rörd”

It was difficult to know where Jenny Rissveds was before Sunday’s Olympic race at Colline d’Élancourt, a couple of miles west of Paris. The season has included high peaks – a couple of World Cup victories – as well as low points in the form of heavy crashes and more obscure placings.

But when it came down to it, the Olympic gold medalist from 2016 in Rio de Janeiro showed that she is still at the very highest level.

When the 30-year-old crossed the finish line after just over 30 miles of driving, it was as a bronze medalist.

After the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, many assumed that she had done her last Olympic Games, perhaps her last cycling race, when, after 14th place, she realized that she was ready to carry the burden of reigning Olympic champion.

– This time I am very present in my feelings and in contact with myself. I stop all the time and think about the achievement and the journey through these years. It feels very good and I am very, very proud, says Rissveds and continues:

– During the Olympics in Rio, there was just too much happening at once, it was new and a big push around me. It’s the same job now, but I’m more experienced now.

After the bronze medal, the joy was great.

After the bronze medal, the joy was great.

Photo: Thibault Camus/AP/TT

Now the 30-year-old opens up for two more Olympics.

– I have learned to see the beauty in it, so I hope to go through here again. We all have tough days sometimes. It feels like I’m taking this bronze from a good place and solid foundation. I’m fine and that’s what matters most.

It was a Sunday where the umbrellas came into use, just like during the opening days of the Olympics. But now it was the sun, not the rain, that dutiful volunteers tried to protect the cyclists from at the start.

In the heat, Rissveds started cautiously – but wisely, as it turned out.

She ignored the fact that the French Pauline Ferrand Prevot went for a knock already shortly into the second of seven laps. While the favorite ran away for a rock-solid gold, Rissveds bided his time with an eye on the other medals.

Crash and puncture

With less than three laps to go, Rissveds, the Austrian Laura Stigger and the American Haley Batten were in the race for third Loana Lecomte. Shortly afterwards, Lecomte crashed heavily, and the Frenchman was unable to continue.

In the Olympic cross-country branch, most things can happen and when the race’s runner-up, the Dutchman Puck Pieterse, had a puncture, the chasing trio also got silver weather.

Pieterse was soon raced and left, and from behind the Swiss Alessandra Keller also joined for a four-shot for the podium places.

On the penultimate lap, Rissveds and Batten put in another push, and quickly gained a few seconds on the others. It was increasingly leaning towards it being a Swedish medal, the question was which denomination.

In the final lap, Batten tried to shake off the Swede several times, and in the end she succeeded.

But Jenny Rissveds took the bronze, Sweden’s second Olympic medal in Paris.