26/07/2021

PhD in mathematics wins gold in cycling at the Olympics.

Crédito: Comitê Olímpico Internacional

Accustomed to the academic environment and research in applied mathematics, Austrian Anna Kiesenhofer surprised the world by showing another skill, this time in cycling. This Sunday (25), she defeated the favorites and took the gold medal after completing the 137 kilometers of the women's road race at the Tokyo Olympics.

The athlete holds a master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain. Currently, Kiesenhofer is doing postdoctoral research at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, studying nonlinear partial differential equations.

The 30-year-old researcher began practicing the sport in 2014 after injuries prevented her from competing in triathlons and duathlons, which combine running and cycling. In 2017, she turned professional in cycling, but to this day she does not have a signed contract as an athlete or coach. This Sunday, she completed the race in 3:52:45, one minute and 15 seconds ahead of the veteran Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten, who took the silver medal.

The victory surprised her opponents and the competitor herself, who said after the race, “I couldn’t believe it. Even when I crossed the finish line, I thought, ‘Is it over? Do I have to keep pedaling?’ I really sacrificed a lot to be here today. But I wasn’t expecting to finish the race with this result.”

With his victory in Japan, Kiesenhofer won Austria's first cycling medal and took the gold for the country, which hadn't won first place in an Olympic event since 2004.