Kirchmann encouraged by result

Winnipegger 12th in women's cycling time trial

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 6:26 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 28, 2021

Leah Kirchmann's second trip to the Summer Olympics was as successful as it was exhausting.

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Leah Kirchmann's second trip to the Summer Olympics was as successful as it was exhausting.

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This article was published 28/07/2021 (1503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Leah Kirchmann’s second trip to the Summer Olympics was as successful as it was exhausting.

The 31-year-old Winnipeg product rode to a 12th-place finish against a formidable field during the women’s cycling time trial at the Tokyo Games on Wednesday.

Kirchmann, who rides for her Netherlands-based pro team during the domestic season, was in the silver-medal position when she crossed the finish line at Fuji International Speedway but several star riders were yet to complete the course.

Leah Kirchmann finished 12th in the women's cycling individual time trial in Tokyo. (Tim de Waele / Pool Photo)

“I knew I executed a good race personally: that I rode as fast as I could,” Kirchmann told the Free Press by phone after a 90-minute stint in post-race doping control. “But I knew there were still a lot of riders to come, so I would have to see how I ended up. But yeah, I think I crossed the line happy with my ride.

“It was hot and humid today and we had quite a tough course with a lot of climbing and finishing on the race track. They actually did allow some fans, so it was nice to hear the cheering at the finish.”

Kirchmann completed the a 22.1-km course in a time of 33 minutes and 1.64 seconds, which was 2:48.15 behind Dutch gold medallist Annemiek van Vleuten.

Van Vleuten was dominant on this day, crossing the finish line 56.47 seconds ahead of silver medallist Marlen Reusser of Switzerland. Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands pocketed the bronze.

Canadian teammate Karol-Ann Canuel of Amox, Que., was 14th.

“I started the race with a clear plan and of how I wanted to execute it,” said Kirchmann. “I think I rode technically really well and fast in the corners and the descents and I could stick to my pacing plan. I heard some splits (interval times) during the race and I knew that I was setting a good time so that was also encouraging.”

Van Vleuten and van der Breggen are two of the sport’s biggest stars.

“I knew that we were up against a really, really high-calibre field of riders so I think to realistically have a medal then I would really need to be an extraordinary day,” said Kirchmann. “Before the race, my goal was just to execute my best personal race and to not focus so much on the end result but just on the process of executing a good race, which is what I did.”

At home in Winnipeg, her parents Rob and Gina Kirchmann had some nervous moments trying to find the correct online feed before watching the race live overnight.

Both wanted to travel to Tokyo to watch their daughter in person but those plans were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was thinking to myself this is an incredible moment for me because I get to see my daughter competing as an Olympic athlete and that made me feel very proud,” said Rob Kirchmann. “But on the other hand, I was also very nervous for her and for me.

“It’s kind of surreal a little bit because you’re watching the TV and she’s an Olympian and selected and she’s gonna be there and competing, and you have to take a step back and kind of say, ‘Well, that’s her name on the screen, and she’s doing her best she can.’ “

Leah Kirchmann also finished 36th in Sunday’s women’s road race.

Prior to the 2012 Games in London, Kirchmann was in the pool of riders competing for an Olympic berth but only landed a spot on the team as an alternate. Four years later she was 38th in the road race at Rio, her lone event of the 2016 Games.

She enjoyed her time in the Tokyo athletes village despite the restrictive pandemic guidelines that limited movement.

“I’ve had a really great experience here,” said Kirchmann. “I’ve had a lot of fun with my Team Canada teammates and we’ve been supported by fantastic support staff here. And it’s also really fun just to cheer on the rest of Team Canada, even if we can’t do it person then we can still tune in to all the coverage on TV.”

Safety considerations, she said, were exceptional.

“I’ve been impressed with how the Games were able to take place,” said Kirchmann. “I felt like we, we took all the proper protocols, while here and we were able to stay healthy and still competed our best so I think that’s a big accomplishment in itself.”

There would be no post-competition lingering in Japan for Kirchmann. She flew back to Europe on Thursday.

“It’s time to focus on the rest of the season,” she said. “I’Il have some races coming up later in August and then do the world championships in September and then my last races will probably be in October.”

With a year remaining on her pro contract, she will continue to ride for a living. She was noncommital about whether she would still be competing at the time of the 2024 Games, which are scheduled for Paris.

“It would be great to take part in another Games, but I’ll just keep racing my bike and see if I also end up in Paris,” she said.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14