Kopecky was watching Vos like a hawk: "Then you think to yourself, Marianne is the fastest"

Lotte Kopecky is taking home a bronze medal from the Olympics. The Belgian fought her way back to the front group in the Olympic road race, despite setbacks in the finale. While American Kristen Faulkner proved too strong, Kopecky secured bronze in a sprint with Marianne Vos and Blanka Vas.

"I'm relatively happy with it," Kopecky cautiously began her interview with Sporza. "But of course, I race to win, for the highest achievable goal. At the Olympics, it's a bit different. I'm just very happy not to be fourth, like I was three years ago. That's the worst position to finish in. In the end, I feel like I've won bronze," she said, feeling mostly positive after the race.

Kopecky overcomes various obstacles to secure bronze

Kopecky started the sprint for silver and bronze from the front, which was not her intention. "Yes, they forced me to take the lead, and I thought: I'm going to get tricked here. In the end, it was just enough," said the relieved Belgian. A significant moment in the race was a crash at the foot of the first passage of Montmartre. Although Kopecky did not crash herself, she was held up. "I was feeling good and had to go. Otherwise, I wouldn't have returned to the race. I had to use a lot of energy at that point," she explained.

A determined Kopecky didn't give up and fought her way back to the front. But she had to chase again soon after Vos and Vas broke away together. "I immediately felt it was over, especially because everyone started looking at each other. You also know that if you go all out to chase, you might not have enough left for the last climb up Montmartre, and you won't close the gap."

Thanks to an incredibly strong Faulkner, Kopecky managed to return. The American rode so hard that Kopecky quickly abandoned her own plans to attack. "I initially wanted to go from the foot of the climb myself, but Faulkner set a very hard pace. Eventually, we caught up to Blanka and Marianne together." Faulkner, the slowest sprinter of the group, attacked three kilometers from the finish. It was the decisive move. "You know what a rider like Faulkner will do. And then you think to yourself, Marianne is the fastest, maybe she can bring her back. I don't know if I could have responded myself. But once she was gone, I switched to fighting for the medals," Kopecky concluded.

Coach Willems proud, sees Kopecky heading to track events with confidence

After the rider herself, the coach of the Belgian women's team, Ludwig Willems, also gave his analysis. He expressed great pride in Kopecky's medal. "It's fantastic, especially after she just missed out three years ago. After Kopecky's world title last year in Glasgow, this is really the icing on the cake of my career as a coach, but also for Lotte. She deserves this so much. I'm very happy for her."

While Kopecky said she felt tricked in the sprint, Willems thought starting the sprint from the front was smart. "She knows Vos can perfectly time her sprint so that Kopecky can't pass her. I think it was smart to start the sprint herself. In the end, the sprint was simply one of dying swans." Willems is content with the bronze. "Faulkner really stood out. She saw the moment very cleverly, but you also have to do it. She broke away and when Vas let a gap open, Kopecky and Vos looked at each other. Faulkner was just super strong after that. On the last climb, she closed the gap on her own, I think Lotte already felt how strong the American was."

Kopecky will also compete on the track at these Olympics. "I think it's very important for Lotte to have this medal," Willems said. "It allows her to go to the track events with peace of mind. I also expect she can surprise there. She still has something extra," the coach said, looking ahead to the track events with ambition.

"The pace was furious heading into the local circuit, it was very tough."

Finally, rider Julie Van de Velde also got a moment to speak. She sacrificed herself entirely for Kopecky during the race. "It's wonderful that Lotte was able to win a medal. Another top performance from her." For Van de Velde, it was a tough race, and due to circumstances, she couldn't do much for Kopecky. "Margot (Vanpachtenbeke, ed.) unfortunately crashed. As a result, the group split. I managed to avoid the crash but at that point I realized that I wasn't having my best day. That was unfortunate."

The race itself was also grueling. "It went incredibly fast, especially during that series of four climbs, between kilometers seventy and ninety. The pace was furious heading into the local circuit, it was very tough." Van de Velde can at least celebrate with a party, as a medal in the road race is a historic achievement for a Belgian woman. "I hope we can enjoy it and that there will be a nice celebration."