Olav Kooij after 5th in U23 World Championships - "This is not what we came for, but that is course"

Olav Kooij was among the top contenders in World Championships for the U23rds, but the Dutchman failed to score the victory and concluded the race in fifth place.

Disappointed with the final result, Kooij said, "This is not what we came for, but that is course."

He started the race with a disadvantage as his teammate Mick van Dijke was unable to start due to a positive corona test. "We weren't in the breakaway of the day, so we had to gamble after that. We took some control but couldn't carry the whole race. In the end, we were able to take back time in the finale," he told Eurosport.

He was well positioned for the final kilometres, except he miscalculated the planning by Fedorov and Vacek. "I felt good on the climbs in the last laps. So I was able to keep up well with the front pack. had to have some luck that everything would come together before the line. But that didn't happen, and that's a shame."

After losing gold and silver, his last option was Bronze which he eventually lost and had to settle for the 5th position. "France had some guys, and so did Belgium, so I was hoping they would close the gap. But they didn't succeed. Then you have to be happy with the sprint for bronze, but even in that, I was beaten, " concluded Kooij.