(Zurich) Already crowned at the Paris Olympic Games, Australian Grace Brown became the first woman in history to win the Olympic and world time trial titles in the same year by winning the World Championships in Zurich on Sunday.
On a demanding 29.9 km course, the FDJ-Suez team rider finished 16 seconds ahead of the Dutchwoman Demi Vollering and 56 seconds ahead of the American Chloe Dygert.
French players Juliette Labous and Cedrine Kerbaol took 9th place respectivelye and the 14e place.
“I’ve been living a dream for a few months now. More gold, it’s fabulous,” said Grace Brown, who will retire at the end of the season at the age of 32.
Long a regular in places of honour, including a second place in the time trial at last year’s World Championships in Glasgow and a fourth place at Tokyo 2020, the Australian is having a dream final season which also saw her win the great Belgian classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
PHOTO MICHAEL BUHOLZER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grace Brown
“A lot of people tell me I can’t stop after this. But no, it’s always been planned. I feel blessed to have had such a career and to end it in such a way,” said Brown, eager to return to her family and her continent that she misses dearly.
Perched on a golden-coloured bike, she pushed a very big gear to repel the attacks of Vollering, the winner of the 2023 Tour de France who was the only one able to compete with her on Sunday.
“The Olympic experience gave me a lot of confidence. I came here with a different, more relaxed approach. The Olympic title freed me,” she explained.
“In the last few kilometres, I kept encouraging myself, telling myself: ‘you can do it, you can become world champion’. That helped me push the pedals until the end,” insisted the Australian who will also compete in the road race next Saturday.