Cromwell the best of the Aussies on gruelling and dramatic day

CYCLING: Australian Olympic debutant Tiffany Cromwell says she had nothing left in the tank after clinging to the peloton in the women's road race which was won by Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer on Sunday.

Kiesenhofer produced one of the upsets of the Tokyo 2020 Games when she took gold from a breakaway after 134km and denied the powerhouse Dutch three consecutive victories in the event.

Dutch superstar Annemiek van Vleuten took silver after mistakenly celebrating on the line believing she had won gold, not realising Kiesenhofer was 1min 15secs ahead, while Italian Elisa Longo Borghini claimed the bronze.

Cromwell rode hard to the line to finish 26th, 2min 56secs behind Kiesenhofer and was Australia's best placed rider after its co-leaders Grace Brown and Amanda Spratt were distanced by the peloton on a brutal course. Fellow Australian debutant Sarah Gigante finished 40th just over eight minutes behind the winner.

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