Rui Costa is in the final phase of his career, at the age of 37, and had the Olympic Games as one of his main goals for the season. A medal was difficult for the Portuguese rider, but not out of the question. That was until Rui Costa suffered a breakdown on the final circuit, already well into the race.
"I don't know if it was a puncture or a loss of pressure, what is certain is that I couldn't steer around the corners, it was impossible. It was a crucial moment in the race, the race was on. When that happened, I knew it would be impossible to get back into the group. The car also took a long time to arrive," explained the three-time Portuguese national champion to Lusa post-race.
And the breakdown wasn't the only problem that plagued Rui Costa in Paris. "I can say that I didn't have a very good start. On the parallels I also lost my bottle, I rode a lap without hydrating. And then things got really complicated when I had a puncture. That was the end of the race," he ruefully recalls.
After 13th place at the London 2012 Olympic Games and 10th in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Rui regrets falling short in his third and final Olympic race. "When you train, when you dedicate yourself, when your main focus is the Games and they were my last Games, I really wanted to do well... I felt good, I knew it was all about placement on the circuit, the forces were very similar, apart from Remco who was very strong, but that's it," concluded the 2013 World Champion.
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