Great Britain’s Anna Henderson finished a glorious second in the Olympic time trial at the weekend. The slippery circuit in the French capital may have been marred by clouds delivering heavy rain to soak the course, but those clouds had a silver lining for the 25-year-old Briton who took the silver medal behind Grace Brown. After her medal win, Henderson beamed, “I still can’t believe it!“
The flat course in Paris did not, on paper, offer many challenges, but the rainfall caused precariously slippery roads. Henderson was one of the last to leave the start ramp. Along the way, the brand-new British time trial champion managed to set some of the fastest intermediate times. Among others, Grace Brown took to the course after Henderson. The Australian eventually proved to be too strong for the opposition and crossed the line to claim the gold.
The battle for the silver medal came down to Henderson and Chloe Dygert. Henderson won that battle by completing the course a second faster than the American. “I still can’t believe it,” a very happy Henderson said afterwards. “Beforehand, I secretly felt I could make the podium, but to finish second after someone like Brown is incredible.”
“On the road, I focused on my speed on the straights. The slippery corners were risky, so it was important to be careful. That’s where you could lose the race. I was very happy I stayed on my bike today. When the last rider crossed the line, I burst into tears. I am very happy.”
