Anna Keisenhofer was at the end of her tether. Fuji, 30, sank in the air on the asphalt of the speedway. Then she gets up and sits down, sweating and there may be a few tears on her face. He won the Olympic road bike race with a bang. The first gold medal for Austria at the Summer Games since Athens 2004.
Keisenhopper, who works full-time as a mathematician, is not a professional cyclist. Amateur success is one of those special Olympic moments, it was his Olympic moment. “It’s amazing,” she said aloud ORF: The Even as I crossed the finish line, I thought to myself: Is it really over? Should I go? “
The 30-year-old was not even considered a foreigner before the race. It was not included in their competition plans. Favorite Dutch women around London-based Olympic champion Marion Voss and former world champion Annemick von Wollton.
And Keisenhopper?
“I do not think anyone copied them. I do not even know her,” said Anna van der Bregen from the Netherlands. “How can you be wrong if you do not know anyone?”
Initially, the Austrian withdrew from Peloton with an escape group on a 137-kilometer and hilly route. When his comrades were recaptured, the 30-year-old set off for gold for a 41-kilometer solo ride. Courage paid off – they ran away in solitude because of the lack of radio and because their pursuers did not know them.
Keisenhopper is a four-time Austrian champion. But of course it can’t be compared to the biggest win of his life, the Olympic gold. If you can call it a profession.
In 2017 he tried a professional career with the Belgian team Lotto Soudal Ladies. But it was not for her, and the contract ended a year later. “I noticed that professional sports are very physically and psychologically stressful for me and I only like to do recreational sports,” Keisenhofer said before the games in Tokyo.
With gold from mathematics
After a professional year, Keisenhofer put the bike in the corner and focused on his work. Today, he holds a master’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge and works at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. There he mainly deals with area difference equations.
Keisenhofer discovered the connections between mathematics and cycling. For example, she works on the technology of her bike. He added: “You can easily calculate how many watts you have to tread to overcome the forces of cycling – primarily wind resistance and gravity,” he said. ORF: I When I drive a mountain, I act against gravity. These are just some of the goal setting shareware that you can use to create great content. “
In Tokyo, Keisenhofer calculated exactly what wattage she needed. But there is no other option but to go into the escape group and never get caught again. She did not have much experience in big bike races and she was not so comfortable in Pelton with more than a hundred riders. Before the official start, he wanted to roll a little behind the crowd.
“I had planned the attack at zero kilometers and was glad I was able to take the lead. I could not think I was not good at riding a pilot,” she said aloud. “Small Newspaper”.
From behind she passed everyone. Favorites do not have time to memorize their faces. But now they know her name: Anna Keisenhopper, a gold medalist from Tokyo.