Grace Brown Wins Gold in Rain-Soaked Paris 2024 Women’s Time Trial
27 July 2024, Paris, France – Australia’s Grace Brown overcame treacherous conditions to clinch the gold medal in the women’s individual time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Brown’s triumphant ride on the rain-slicked streets of Paris not only marked her career’s pinnacle but also secured Australia’s first gold medal at these Games.
“Being away from Australia a lot of the year, being away from my family, that’s given me the impetus to work really hard and make it all worth it,” Brown remarked after her victory. “Just to make Australia proud, winning the first gold medal for our nation, setting the medal table on its way. I hope I inspire the other athletes to push their limits and go after similar results.”
The course, notorious for its cobblestones and sharp corners, was further complicated by persistent rain. Despite the challenges, Brown navigated the 20-mile route with precision, setting the fastest times at every intermediate checkpoint. She finished with a time of 39:38.24, 1:31.59 ahead of silver medalist Anna Henderson from Great Britain. World champion Chloe Dygert of the USA, who suffered a crash, recovered to claim the bronze.
Brown’s win comes after consecutive silver medals in the previous world championships and a near-podium finish at the Tokyo Games. “It makes me really proud of everything I’ve done,” said Brown, who plans to retire at the end of the season. “I know that I’ve come here and given it everything and it’s paid off.”
The race saw numerous crashes, including American Taylor Knibb, who fell three times. Brown’s ability to stay upright and maintain her speed proved crucial. “Because it was wet, we had to go a bit slower through the corners and that helped me take some little breaks along the way. I didn’t really know that a lot of my competitors were crashing. So it sounds like I was lucky to stay upright in the end,” Brown explained.
Juliette Labous of France finished fourth, narrowly missing a medal in front of her home crowd. Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, another pre-race favorite, placed fifth.
The men’s individual time trial saw Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel take gold, followed by Italy’s Filippo Ganna with silver, and Belgium’s Wout van Aert with bronze.
Grace Brown’s remarkable performance and her resilience through challenging conditions have not only earned her a well-deserved Olympic gold but have also set a high bar for Australian athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
