Swiss cyclist Cancellara strikes gold in time trial
Capping a 16-year career: Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara
EPA/ALEJANDRO ERNESTO
Retiring cyclist Fabian Cancellara has scored Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio. In the time trial, he tackled the hilly 54km coastline course in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 15.42 seconds.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The triumph comes eight years after winning a gold medal at the Beijing Games, and just weeks after pulling out of the Tour de France – which passed through his native Bern, Switzerland, last month.
Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), took silver on Wednesday, having opted to compete despite breaking his hand during Le Tour, while Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Britain) won bronze.
More than a year ago, 35-year-old Cancellara announced that this would be his final season as a competitive cyclist. He began weeping in rainy Rio as soon as Froome – the last rider of the day – crossed the finish line.
Cancellara is the second Swiss athlete to win a medal in Rio. On Tuesday, Heidi Diethelm Gerber of canton Thurgau won the bronze medal in 25 metre pistol shooting.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Thurgau woman scores Switzerland’s first Olympic medal in Rio
This content was published on
Gerber will take home the bronze medal in the 25 metre pistol shooting event, having beaten out Chinese competitor Zhang Jianjian 8-4 for the third place honour on Tuesday. She just made it to the finals, slipping into the seventh spot of the top eight in the qualifying round. She went on to place fourth…
This content was published on
When it comes to Swiss Olympic athletes, one trend in the data is particularly striking: There are no team players. That's not a value judgement.
This content was published on
“We are leaving for Rio with very ambitious athletes,” Ralph Stöckli, head of Swiss OlympicExternal link, told reporters on July 26. In total, 105 athletes will be making the trip to Brazil this summer for the Summer GamesExternal link from August 5-21, the biggest Swiss Olympic delegation since the Atlanta Games in 1996 when 115…
This content was published on
Of the 105 Swiss Olympians heading to Rio, 57 have Twitter accounts. swissinfo.ch has created a list with all their latest posts.
This content was published on
In cycling races against the clock, Fabian Cancellara claimed the first gold medal for Switzerland while Karin Thürig won bronze. In judo, Sergei Aschwanden took the bronze medal in the finals of the men’s 90kg category. It was the first time Switzerland won three medals in one day since the summer Olympics of 1952. The…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.