By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) – Missing out on a podium finish or a title could deter a lot of athletes, but in the case of Grace Brown, the near-misses gave the Australian the confidence she needed to claim her first major accolade on Saturday.
The 32-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season to return to her home country as most riders from Down Under have to endure long spells in Europe, won gold in the women’s time trial in Paris to finally break the jinx.
“I came second so may times so obviously it feels good,” Brown told a press conference after beating Britain’s Anna Henderson and American Chloe Dygert in Paris.
Brown was fourth in the individual time trial at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and came second in the 2022 and 2023 world championships.
“In Tokyo when I came fourth really it gave me the vision I could aim for a result like this,” she said.
“Then the world championships in Wollongong and Glasgow, I came home both second and I was a bit closer to the win. It gave me the belief than I could race for the gold medal here.”
Brown’s results also gave her team the confidence she would eventually be rewarded.
“I think having my team behind and trusting me also gave me the strength to win today,” she said.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Alison Williams)
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