The medal dreams of Stefan Bissegger and Stefan Küng have been dashed. The two riders from Thurgau are among the defeated in the rainy Olympic time trial in 6th and 8th place. Olympic champion is Remco Evenepoel.
When Stefan Bissegger crossed the finish line with start number 14, the best time was green. However, it quickly became clear that the 2022 European champion would not be able to make the big time. Just under five minutes later, Wout van Aert undercut Bissegger's mark by over a minute. The Belgian finished in third place, only beaten by Italian Filippo Ganna and his superior, victorious compatriot Remco Evenepoel. The latter completed the 32.4 km course through Paris with a lead of 15 and 26 seconds respectively over Ganna and Van Aert.
Bissegger, in sixth place, had to make do with a diploma, as did Küng in eighth. The medal he was aiming for was out of reach: "Of course, 6th place is not what I wanted. But it's not a disgrace either and it's still okay. The performance was actually good. I did the best I could. I struggled a bit in the corners because it was so wet. Before the start, I watched the women's race and was perhaps a bit too cautious because there were so many crashes. I think I was still close to the limit because I slid in some corners."
Küng with a handicap - Evenepoel outstanding
Küng's performance comes as no surprise. The 30-year-old actually wanted to make up for lost ground in Paris after missing out on the bronze medal by just four tenths in Tokyo three years previously. However, he was thwarted by health problems twice during his preparations. Eight days after withdrawing from the Tour de France due to illness, he was not in full possession of his strength to fulfill his dream of an Olympic medal.
Stefan Küng was under no illusions even before the race in view of the complicated preparation: "In the end, I think I got the maximum out of it. I rode a decent race and can't blame myself. I pushed to the last meter and enjoyed the atmosphere after there were no spectators in Tokyo three years ago."
Due to the "messed up" preparation, he lacked confidence from A to Z, said Küng. "I felt very passive instead of aggressive and willing to take risks. When you see how the medals have gone, it would have been difficult anyway. And it was clear after this preparation that it would be difficult anyway. It started in June before the Tour de Suisse, when a bout of bronchitis cost me two weeks. Then came the Tour de France with Covid and stomach problems. At some point you run out of time. Even if I'm healthy again now, it's not enough against the best in the world. I have to accept it."
Remco Evenepoel put on a great show in difficult conditions in the rain. There was no sign of fatigue in the 24-year-old Belgian after finishing the Tour de France in third place overall on Sunday. Evenepoel set the fastest time in all three sections of the almost completely flat and technically not particularly demanding course. Ten months after winning the World Championship title, the Belgian prodigy can now also call himself the Olympic time trial champion.
