Swiss cyclist Cancellara strikes gold in time trial

Capping a 16-year career: Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara EPA/ALEJANDRO ERNESTO

Retiring cyclist Fabian Cancellara has scored Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio. In the time trial, he tackled the hilly 54km coastline course in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 15.42 seconds.

This content was published on August 10, 2016 - 19:20

1 minute

swissinfo.ch and agencies

The triumph comes eight years after winning a gold medal at the Beijing Games, and just weeks after pulling out of the Tour de France – which passed through his native Bern, Switzerland, last month.

Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), took silver on Wednesday, having opted to compete despite breaking his hand during Le Tour, while Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Britain) won bronze.

External Content

Olympic champion….. What a crazy day. #goldExternal link i am so proud and still without words pic.twitter.com/N9KXe2YgmaExternal link
— Fabian cancellara (@f_cancellara) August 10, 2016External link

More than a year ago, 35-year-old Cancellara announced that this would be his final season as a competitive cyclist. He began weeping in rainy Rio as soon as Froome – the last rider of the day – crossed the finish line.

Cancellara is the second Swiss athlete to win a medal in Rio. On Tuesday, Heidi Diethelm Gerber of canton Thurgau won the bronze medal in 25 metre pistol shooting.

Culture

Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland

Swiss Abroad

Gold-digging: why some Swiss bury their wealth in the garden

Foreign affairs

Swiss nerves jangle after Trump victory

Multinational companies

Davos entourages will face 10-fold price increase next year

Swiss Abroad

Crack cocaine crisis escalates in Switzerland

How should Switzerland relieve congestion on its motorways?

On November 24, Swiss voters will decide on a government proposal to expand the motorway network. What do you think about this?

Join the discussion

Oct 28, 2024

63 Likes

78 Comments

View the discussion

What is the future of Swiss neutrality?

Is Swiss neutrality misunderstood? Or has the Swiss model of neutrality now become obsolete?

Join the discussion

Sep 13, 2024

306 Likes

203 Comments

View the discussion

How can we avoid AI being monopolised by powerful countries and companies?

AI has the potential to solve many of the world's problems. But the wealthiest countries and tech firms may seek to hoard these benefits.

Join the discussion

Nov 7, 2024

8 Likes

6 Comments

View the discussion

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Thurgau woman scores Switzerland’s first Olympic medal in Rio

This content was published on Aug 9, 2016 Gerber will take home the bronze medal in the 25 metre pistol shooting event, having beaten out Chinese competitor Zhang Jianjian 8-4 for the third place honour on Tuesday. She just made it to the finals, slipping into the seventh spot of the top eight in the qualifying round. She went on to place fourth…

Swiss Olympians – the solo specialists

This content was published on Aug 4, 2016 When it comes to Swiss Olympic athletes, one trend in the data is particularly striking: There are no team players. That's not a value judgement.

Switzerland to send 105 athletes to Rio

This content was published on Aug 2, 2016 “We are leaving for Rio with very ambitious athletes,” Ralph Stöckli, head of Swiss OlympicExternal link, told reporters on July 26. In total, 105 athletes will be making the trip to Brazil this summer for the Summer GamesExternal link from August 5-21, the biggest Swiss Olympic delegation since the Atlanta Games in 1996 when 115…

On your marks, get set, tweet!

This content was published on Aug 3, 2016 Of the 105 Swiss Olympians heading to Rio, 57 have Twitter accounts. swissinfo.ch has created a list with all their latest posts.

Tour de France fever strikes Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 18, 2016 They came, they saw, they cycled. Stage 16 of the Tour de France has arrived in Switzerland.

Swiss win three medals in one day in Beijing

This content was published on Aug 13, 2008 In cycling races against the clock, Fabian Cancellara claimed the first gold medal for Switzerland while Karin Thürig won bronze. In judo, Sergei Aschwanden took the bronze medal in the finals of the men’s 90kg category. It was the first time Switzerland won three medals in one day since the summer Olympics of 1952. The…

Swiss cyclist Cancellara strikes gold in time trial

Popular Stories

More

Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland

More

Gold-digging: why some Swiss bury their wealth in the garden