Silver medalist Kooij takes responsibility after European Championship: "It's also up to me to be there"

'Just short' was the story for Olav Kooij at the European Cycling Championship in Belgian Limburg. The Dutch sprinter likely delivered the fastest sprint of all, but had to watch as Tim Merlier raised his hands in victory beside him. This was a tough pill to swallow, as the man from Numansdorp admitted after the race with the silver medal around his neck.

The first words often weigh the heaviest, as they say. "Disappointment prevails," concluded Kooij. "It’s a bitter second place. I came on strong, but I might not have been in the right position as the sprint started. I could have made up a lot, but the finish line came just too soon. You also have some control over that," he said.

Kooij refers to the fact that he wasn’t with his countrymen in the final. With Mick van Dijke, Danny van Poppel, Mike Teunissen, and Mathieu van der Poel, he had a formidable lead-out on paper, but ultimately the Dutch riders were out of contention in the final kilometer.

Asked about the final, Kooij recounts, "I noticed that Mike was there, but we decided to wait and didn’t manage to come together to make our move. I didn’t even see Mathieu, but they were also a bit behind me, among the riders fading from the front. It was quite difficult to keep track of everything and regroup."

"I had a good kick, but Tim was fast, and it was hard to close the gap. The feeling was good, and I was close, so I’m disappointed. Last year, I was happy with my third place, but that’s not the case now. It makes it a bitter pill to swallow," he summed up.

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Kooij can only conclude that the Netherlands had a good race

"We were constantly in the mix, even in the hilly sections," the sprinter complimented his aggressive teammates. "Italy and Belgium also spent a lot of energy there. It’s easy to say afterward that things should have been different, but I think we rode a very good race overall. It’s also up to me to be in a good position."

"We had a good race, especially in the middle sections," Kooij repeated. "We were always in the mix, right up to the final breakaway. In the end, everyone was fatigued, which was actually beneficial for me. I was able to stay relatively calm and felt decent, so it’s even more disappointing that it didn’t work out."

"The winner is always right, as we saw again. Tim certainly deserved to be here. I’ve raced against him many times this year, and we’ve had some great duels. There’s a healthy rivalry, but I would have preferred to see myself win," Kooij concluded.