Elisa Longo Borghini took half within the third Olympics highway race of her profession in Paris on Sunday however could not improve on her bronze medals from Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
The Italian completed 3:05 down on Kristen Faulkner and nonetheless managed to file a top-10 end on the finish of the 157.6km race, and later apologised for her race.
Speaking to Bici.Pro, the 32-year-old – who final week took eighth within the Olympics time trial – mentioned that she merely did not have the legs to problem for one more medal on Sunday.
“I’m so sorry. It’s not the consequence I wished,” Longo Borghini mentioned. “I’ve no excuses and I’m not searching for them. Simply, my legs weren’t working. I had already imagined it within the first half, however after all, I attempted anyway. Then at a sure level, I simply shut down straight away.
“I apologise to everybody – to the followers who adopted me from residence to the various Italians who have been on the course. I noticed them, I heard them, and I felt their encouragement. Overall, it was a terrific race with a terrific environment. But proper now, every thing is taking a again seat as a result of I’m very dissatisfied.”
Longo Borghini mentioned that she might effectively have completed “fourth or twentieth” for all of the distinction it made, together with her eventual ninth place being simply one other place out of the medals. She reiterated that the fault of her self-confessed under-par exhibiting lay together with her legs and mentioned there was no level in searching for any various explanations.
“The level shouldn’t be the consequence. I might have been fourth or twentieth. I’m sorry I wasn’t at my finest, as a result of which means I did not honour the jersey I used to be sporting,” Longo Borghini mentioned. “All in all, I feel we did the fitting race and that all of us moved effectively.
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“In reality, I thank my teammates for the work they did. Each of us gave what we had as we speak, sadly, it wasn’t sufficient. I actually do not know what to say, nor do I feel we have to search for some sort of rationalization as a result of I clearly felt that I had switched off. One meter earlier than I used to be there, one meter after I used to be gone.”
Longo Borghini has already skilled nice success this season, having gained the Tour of Flanders and Brabantse Pijl throughout the spring earlier than successful the Italian highway title and the Giro d’Italia Women this summer time.
Following her Olympics disappointment, Longo Borghini will now flip her consideration to the Tour de France Femmes, the place she’s set to guide Lidl-Trek. She completed sixth on the race two years in the past and will probably be aiming for one more high GC putting this time round.
“Now I’ll go residence and begin fascinated with the Tour de France,” she mentioned. “There shouldn’t be a second of relaxation and possibly that is higher.
“This is a blow that hurts and can proceed to harm, however I can’t permit it to situation the remainder of the season, as a result of there may be nonetheless quite a lot of racing.”
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