Kristin Armstrong (USA) has successfully defended her women’s Olympic time trial title.
The American rider completed the 29km course, which started and finished at Hampton Court Palace, in 37.34.82.
Judith Arndt (Germany) collected the silver medal with a second-placed time of 37.50.29, while Olga Zabelinskaya (Russia) won her second bronze medal of the Games by matching the third place achieved in Sunday’s women’s road race.
Great Britain’s Emma Pooley finished sixth behind the three medalists and fourth placed Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) and Clara Hughes (Canada), who was fifth.
Sector One
Marianne Vos (Netherlands), the gold medalist in Sunday’s road race, exploded from the start house and sprinted into the opening left hand turn, before adopting a more considered pace.
Defending champion, Kristin Armstrong, the last rider to leave the start house, approached the first corner at a measured pace.
Olga Zabelinskaya, bronze medalist in the road race, set the early pace, crossing the check point at 9.1km some 19 seconds quicker than Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead, and nearly nine seconds faster than Amber Neven (USA).
Her time was obliterated by Great Britain’s Emma Pooley, who completed the first 9.1km in a time of 14.06.18, nearly seven seconds faster than the Russian, but Villumsen and then Armstrong went faster.
Sector two
Zabelinskaya was the pace setter at the second time check, some 20 seconds faster than Pooley, but again saw her time fall to Villumsen, who went seven seconds faster than the Russian, and two seconds faster than Germany’s Judith Ardnt.
But it was the defending champion’s pace that proved the strongest at 20km, as Armstrong wen through the second check point some 4.89 seconds quicker than Villumsen.
Final sector
Zablinskaya’s finishing time of 37.57.35 withstood a sustained onslaught from a host of contenders, including Sweden’s Emma Johanssen, and Pooley, whose second place behind the Russian was topped by the next rider home, Canada’s Hughes.
Arndt went came home seconds faster than the Russian, but just seconds later, Armstrong destroyed the German’s time, crossing the line over 15 seconds faster than the Russian.
Women’s Olympic time trial – result
1) Kristin Armstrong (USA) – 37.34.82
2) Judith Arndt (Germany) +0.15.47”
3) Olga Zabelinskaya (RUS) +0.22.53”
4) Linda Villumsen (NZL) +0.24.36”
5) Clara Hughes (CAN) +0.54.14”
6) Emma Pooley (GBR) +1.02.88
7) Amber Neben (USA) +1.10.35
8) Ellen van Dijk (NED) +1.18.86
9) Trixi Worrack (GER) +1.45.91
10) Elizabeth Armitstead (GBR) +1.51.42
