A 35-second deficit to the front of the race and a 10-second penalty to serve at the finish chute couldn’t stop Max Studer and Team Switzerland from winning gold in a rollercoaster Mixed Team Relay on Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong.
Anouk Danna, Simon Westermann and Alissa Konig had kept the belief as the lead and gaps chopped and changed dramatically across the four legs until Studer hit the front off the final bike and never looked back. He, Grigory Antipov (RUS) and Samuele Angelini (ITA) had put in a huge effort to catch China’s Xirui Zhang over the 7.5km ride, the Italians also having to serve a penalty as Russia took silver and China the bronze.
“It’s a great day for Switzerland. I didn’t think about the penalty, I just saw the gap grow and grow and sprinted to the penalty box. I stopped, looked back and didn’t see anyone and counted down the seconds, an amazing feeling and basically I had two finish lines today.”
full report to follow.
