Lotte Kopecky on pressure of expectations and failing to meet them at the Olympic Games: "Then missing out hurts extra and you feel like you failed even harder"

Belgium claimed a fifth medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games thanks to Lotte Kopecky who arrive third in the road race, behind Kristen Faulkner and Marianne Vos. Before the race, the 28-year-old was seen as one of the main favourites, but any medal is good enough according to the Belgian.

Kopecky reminds us that there's nothing like granted medals at the Olympic Games. "That's a bit annoying in general, towards all athletes. Now look at Matthias Casse who comes fifth. He has done everything within his possibilities to be here in top form," she opened in Paris by Night. "And that ultimately applies to all athletes. So it is not at all obvious to simply win a medal here based on your previous performances. You start from scratch."

So the high expectations in advance definitely have a downside. "Then missing out hurts extra and you feel like you failed even harder. I may have easily finished fourth too, and then..." Kopecky mused. Luckily, she lost "only" to Marianne Vos in the sprint. Just enough to make it onto the podium.

So, looking back, it certainly wasn't a flat-out disappointment for Kopecky but rather a nice bronze medal. Much better than nothing, right? "Silver or bronze, that made no difference to me. Gold, that's a different story. But after that a medal is a medal."

Even without a gold medal around her neck after the road events, she can now head towards the track events with the necessary peace of mind. "I certainly have a chance of a medal there, but then a lot of things have to go well. Especially the scratch," Kopecky looked ahead to her least favorite part of the omnium. "I'm a lot more relaxed now, which allows me to take the necessary risks and dare to do so. Hopefully I can come home with a little more (in terms of medals). But if it doesn't work out, then that's also how it is."