Netherlands' Shanne Braspennincx cycles to women's keirin gold

Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands has won a superb gold in the women's keirin final. The Dutch rider, who suffered a heart attack in 2015, stormed to the front to arrive at the finish line +0.061 ahead of New Zealand's silver medallist Ellesse Andrews. Canada's Lauriane Genest finished third to win bronze.

The riders set off behind the Derny and for three laps the nervous procession proceeded. Then, in the blink of an eye, the race was on, Braspennincx moving at lightning speed to build a slender lead over the chasing pack. Andrews fought hard to stay within touching distance of the Netherlands' rider, but the gold medal would go to the 30-year-old Braspennincx whose spectacular ride sees her crowned Olympic champion.

When interviewed after the race, Braspennincx admitted she hadn't yet processed the enormity of her gold medal performance. “I’ll have to let it sink in first, it feels surreal," she said.

“I can’t believe it. I don't know what it was like (the race). I went in the moment, thought I had to go and I held it."

And reflecting on the past five years that have included her recovery from a heart attack, the Netherlands rider said: "In Rio (2016 Games) I was a spare rider because I had an injury in 2016. I had a long way to come back, and to celebrate it like this is worth it.

“There is amazing medical stuff still behind me. They tested me through and through and through in order to get the green light. In January 2016 I got to be an athlete again.

"My journey started again, really, really slow, and with a lot of stuff back. And now I am here in 2021, all good.”