In an Olympic time trial that was not only incredibly wet, but also full of spectacle and clumsiness – there were many crashes, for example, and many of the competitors struggled to ride off the starting podium without a hitch – Taylor Knibb failed to secure a top ranking. This was not surprising, as the American triathlete crashed at least three times.
In Paris, Knibb combined her Olympic triathlons (both individual and Mixed Team Relay, ed.) with her participation in the Olympic time trial. For that time trial, the American was certainly seen as one of the contenders and along the way – even though some women started after her – she recorded the best intermediate time. She could not enjoy this for long, because Knibb then hit the asphalt three times pretty hard: the road proved so wet and slippery that not only she, but also many other women went down. Whether Knibb is left with many physical complaints from the crashes, which she may continue to suffer during her triathlons, remains to be seen. Despite the three falls, Knibb still rode at an average speed of a whopping 45.1 kilometers per hour.
Australian Grace Brown won the time trial. Britain’s Anna Henderson was second and America’s Chloe Dygert third.
