Australian cyclist Grace Brown blazed through the streets of Paris and dominated the women’s individual time trial to win her first Olympic medal. Brown scorched her competition with a time of 39:38.24, a full minute and a half faster than any other cyclist.
The victory is sweet relief for the 32-year-old Brown, who finished fourth in the time trial at the 2020 Tokyo Games and has now secured Australia’s first medal of the Paris Olympics and first-ever medal in this event. Brown is finally at the mountaintop after also finishing second in each of the last two World Championship time trials.
"It means so much," Brown said. "The same as for many athletes, I [have] had to make a lot of sacrifices. A big team behind me putting a lot of work and belief in me.
"Just to make Australia proud, winning the first gold medal for our nation, setting the medal table on its way. I hope I inspire the other athletes to push their limits and go after similar results."
Great Britain’s Anna Henderson took silver with a time of 41:09.83. At 25, Henderson is making her Olympic debut in Paris and has already earned a medal in her first race. Henderson was previously the 2021 British National Time Trial Champion and runner-up at 2023 Euros.
U.S. star Chloe Dygert battled through an early crash to secure bronze, finishing in 41:10.70. Dygert missed out on silver by less than a second.
Dygert, the 2023 World champion, has battled through excruciating obstacles on her journey to her third Olympic Games, including a terrifying crash in September 2020 that nearly ended her career. Dygert also underwent heart surgery, suffered from Epstein-Barr virus and battled through foot and Achilles injuries.
The bronze is Dygert's third Olympic medal but first in road cycling. She joins Rebecca Twigg as the only two Americans in history to secure medals in both road and track cycling. Dygert previously took silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo in the team pursuit.
Dygert was one of four competitors to slip and fall on Saturday. As rain continued to pound Paris, competitors were crashing early and often on the soaked course. Taylor Knibb, who is competing in both cycling and triathlon in Paris, also fell. She finished 19th with a time of 43:03.46.
With Dygert's medal, the U.S. has edged in front of the Netherlands with a sixth medal in the women's individual time trial. That stands as the most in Olympic history, breaking a 5-5 tie.
Next on the women's road cycling docket is the women's road race Sunday, Aug. 4.