When Kasia Niewiadoma traces up within the girls’s elite street race for Poland on the Paris Olympic Video games on August 4 will probably be her third time, and the 29-year-old’s expertise is exhibiting.
The comprehensible sense of being careworn and overwhelmed has been tamed by the athlete who first lined up on the occasion in 2016 as a 21-year-old – the second youngest rider within the race subsequent to Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky – and took a formidable sixth place regardless of the ‘stress and concern’ she felt then.
“With ten years of racing expertise and having already ready twice for an Olympic Video games, I discover myself with a relaxed focus and relaxed going into the Olympic Video games Paris 2024,” Niewiadoma stated in a media launch from her Canyon-SRAM Girls’s WorldTour crew. “Up to now, I’ve been overwhelmed and careworn earlier than main occasions, however now it’s totally different.”
“I perceive there are solely two outcomes: both I get an awesome consequence or not. All I can do is put together myself to the highest form and race my coronary heart out; the consequence would be the sum of each issues. I’ve gone by way of many ups and downs in my profession, and now I understand how to handle my emotions.”
A type of downs was Tokyo, the place regardless of being targeted and well-prepared the hoped-for medal was out of attain as she completed 14th within the unpredictable race to the Fuji Worldwide Speedway, which delivered a shock gold medallist in Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria). It was a consequence that she mused on Instagram the following day left her ‘a bit bit misplaced’ as she requested “is it actually throughout now? Did I simply miss one other alternative?”.
Nevertheless, one other has now arrived with Niewiadoma lining as much as deal with the 158 kilometres lengthy race with 1,700 metres of climbing and 9 named ascents alongside Polish teammates Marta Lach and Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, who additionally races with Canyon-SRAM.
“The Olympics is gigantic for my nation, the Polish public, and individuals who don’t essentially observe biking intently. I take this race as a chance to assist girls’s biking develop in Poland,” Niewiadoma stated.
The nation has had a robust presence within the UCI rankings in recent times, ending in sixth in 2023, and Niewiadoma’s constant presence close to the highest of the outcomes tallies has definitely performed a giant function in that however the sport that pulls the eye of the nation is soccer, and a few others equivalent to volleyball, bike speedway and ski leaping additionally loom massive, however not biking.
“It all the time takes one good consequence for the nation to be thinking about sure sports activities,” stated Niewiadoma. “As a toddler, I keep in mind watching Justyna Kowalczyk successful medals on the Olympics in cross-country snowboarding; all I needed to do was be like her. Fifteen years later, I wish to be like her for different younger ladies in Poland.”
In addition to expertise, Niewiadoma has type and outcomes on her facet this 12 months, having damaged the win drought that had plagued her since 2020 by taking victory on the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships after which following it up on the street at La Flèche Wallonne as her highly effective assault put Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) on the again foot. That bodes nicely for the Olympic Video games, with its punchy course usually in comparison with these discovered within the Ardennes Classics.
“My preparation has been going to plan. I all the time really feel like I wish to be doing extra, however fortunately, my coach retains an in depth eye on my coaching and restoration,” stated Niewiadoma who final raced on the Lotto Thüringen Girls Tour in late June.
“I’m hungry for the massive efforts within the race. We wish to race for a medal! I dreamed of that second, and our Polish crew is powerful sufficient to make that dream a actuality.”
