Annemiek van Vleuten raised her arms in victory at the conclusion of Sunday's women's road race, but her celebrations were cut short when she learned that another rider had finished more than a minute ahead of her, and that she'd actually finished second.
A rule banning the use of radios during the race meant the 38-year-old had no idea that underdog Anna Kiesenhofer had already crossed the finish line, having earlier broken away from the pack and built such a substantial lead that no one seemed to realize she was ahead.
However, just a few days later the Dutch rider, who is competing at her first Olympic Games, turned disappointment to joy and earned her first Olympic gold of her career.
Speaking after the race, van Vleuten said she had to "park the negativity" around her on social media following the mistaken celebration in the road race.
"I knew after the road race that I was in super, super shape and everyone was talking about everything else and what happened there," van Vleuten said after the medal ceremony.
"I didn't check Twitter, I didn't check any social media, I just took that message into my preparation.
"It was a new challenge to park the negativity that was around me. That was the challenge."
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