Anna Kiesenhofer is a mathematician, a PhD, a bike owner, and an Olympian. Had somebody requested Kiesenhofer to explain herself on the beginning line of the Olympic highway race in Tokyo final summer season, she doubtless would have answered in that order. 4 hours later, all that was about to vary.
Kiesenhofer had been an expert bike owner with Lotto-Soudal prior to now, however had walked away from the professional ranks to deal with her largest ardour in life: arithmetic. Unsurprisingly although, an Olympic gold medal has a approach of slingshotting you into the limelight and proper again into the lifetime of a full-time athlete Kiesenhofer had left behind.
Though arithmetic are on maintain now – whereas Kiesenhofer concentrates on being a reigning Olympic champion – it was arithmetic that was her major ardour in her ‘pre-Tokyo’ life. There can’t be many Olympic champions for whom their chosen sport is a secondary ardour of their golden 12 months, however that was the case for Kiesenhofer. Fewer nonetheless who self-coached their technique to the highest step of the rostrum, researching all method of coaching interventions alongside the way in which.
However then, being completely different is nothing new for the three-time Austrian time trial champion, whose life motto is “dare to be completely different”.
“Dare to be completely different” is my slogan. It was my motto round Tokyo. Totally different in not following the overwhelmed monitor, not being ashamed to be oneself. Acknowledging one’s distinctive wants, fears, and strengths. To not be intimidated by authority and query traditions.
Anna Kiesenhofer
Kiesenhofer definitely didn’t comply with the overwhelmed monitor on her technique to Olympic gold, beginning in triathlon, transferring into highway racing, strolling away to additional her research and educational profession, solely to search out herself on the beginning line of the Olympic highway race, invisible to many, however secretly able to shock the world.
Her unimaginable solo victory was Austria’s first summer season Olympic medal since 2004 and her nation’s first biking gold since 1896. Kiesenhofer has since adopted that up with a top-20 on the time trial world championships, two nationwide championship silver medals, and a fifth place within the European time trial championships simply final week.
Now, as she now reignites her profession as soon as once more as an expert bike owner, she may simply discover a sport very completely different to the one she left behind 5 years in the past. A sport filled with mathematical modelling, efficiency optimization, and coefficients of this, that and the opposite, the place the mathematical-minded athlete she is is now rather more of a commodity than the oddity it as soon as was.
After all, an Olympic champion wants bikes match for that title. Kiesenhofer gave CyclingTips an unique take a look at her new Issue bikes that have been custom-painted in celebration of her gold medal-winning experience in Toyko simply over a 12 months in the past.