Tokyo Olympics 2021: Rohan Dennis picks up bronze in time trial as Ritchie Porte misses out

A bold team decision has helped Rohan Dennis give a bit of limelight to Australia’s non-watersport athletes as veteran Ritchie Porte concedes his time at the top is coming to an end.

Australia’s cycling gamble has paid off with Rohan Dennis overcoming sweltering conditions to win bronze in a gruelling time trial on a day of triumph and tragedy at Mount Fuji.

Dennis won Australia’s first non-watersport medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by holding off late chargers Stefan Kueng and race favourite Filippo Ganna to make the podium by a razor-thin 0.4 seconds.

Slovenian Primoz Roglic won gold and Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin silver.

Australia withdrew Dennis from Saturday’s road race to focus on the individual time trial event - a decision that paid dividends for the 31-year-old South Australian on Wednesday.

Rohan Dennis held on to grab bronze in the time trial.

“The first lap was quite simple, easy... I was in my rhythm,” he said.

“It was more of a dogfight for the last half lap, of that second lap, between five or six of us.”

Dennis crossed the line, narrowly missing silver and facing a nail-biting wait to discover if final rider Ganna would knock him off the podium - not knowing how close the race was.

“I just got told that I got third and he (Ganna) didn’t beat me, otherwise, I would have been a nervous wreck watching him come down that finishing straight,” he said.

“It’s not gold but I can be proud of my efforts.”

It was an eerily similar situation just three hours earlier when Australian Grace Brown missed bronze by just seven seconds in the women’s time trial.

Like Dennis, Brown was sitting third before final rider Anna van der Breggen crossed the line at Fuji International Speedway - knocking her off the podium in the race won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten.

“I could see Anna (van der Breggen) coming towards the line and the time counting up towards me so it was so close,” Brown, 29, said.

“She’s a phenomenal rider so I’m not surprised she rode ahead of me.

Rohan Dennis finished behind Primoz Roglic and Tom Dumoulin.

“There’s nothing left to spare so I’m happy with my result despite being so close to the podium.

“(The circuit) was as hard as expected - I knew what it was going to be like... I was ready for the pain.”

Fellow Australians Richie Porte and Sarah Gigante finished 27th and 11th respectively.

Porte, a two-time Olympian, rode, he said, a terrible race.

“It’s probably the worst ride I’ve had in a time trial for I can’t remember how long,” he said.

Porte, who at 36 was the second-oldest rider in the field, was in trouble after being passed by Belgian Remco Evenepoel on the first of two laps.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been caught like that in a time trial and it kind of hurt,” Porte said.

Grace Brown was unlucky not to grab a medal./

“I was motivated for the ride and I just didn’t have it.”

Porte will take on the Tour of Britain next month before preparing to draw a curtain on his career next year.

“That’s it for me, I’ll be 37 and it’s time to move on to other things in life,” he said.

Gigante, who just three months broke her leg, collarbone and elbow in a serious crash, recovered for a respectable performance.

“I’m so proud of my performance, I couldn’t have done anything more - I gave it everything today,” she said.

“I didn’t come here to come 11th, but it’s everything I had, so I’m proud.”

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Rohan Dennis picks up bronze in time trial as Ritchie Porte misses out