cycling: Cyclocross World Championship: Sanne Cant defeats favorite Marianne Vos

Cyclocross news: Sanne Cant is the first Belgian in history to be a cyclocross world champion. In a gripping race in very difficult conditions, the 26-year-old fought her way back to the top after a fall at the beginning and was able to defeat the big favorite and seven-time world champion Marianne Vos.

First day of the World Cross Country Championships in Luxembourg and already the first big surprise. In the women's elite race in the afternoon, everything looked as if Marianne Vos, who was in strong form and multiple times world champion, would be a clear favorite to win. But in the end everything turned out differently - also because the later winner Sanne Cant from Belgium showed an irrepressible will to win and did not let an early fall stop her. But first things first: Sanne Cant has long been one of the world leaders in cross-country skiing for women and has climbed the podium several times at past world championships. Of course, she was one of the favorites again today, but when she fell on the fourth lap and lost many places and a lot of time, the dream of the World Championship seemed over.

Everything seemed to go according to plan for Marianne Vos. The 29-year-old from the Netherlands underscored her strong form and never left any doubt that she would like to claim her eighth World Championship gold today. But then came the thrilling finale. Despite her early fall, Cant was undeterred, gaining time and positions lap after lap at the front. However, no one really believed that she could pose a threat to the leading Vos again, not even she herself, as the overjoyed new world champion admitted after the race.

The race in re-live

The wake-up call for Cant came with a driving error by Marianne Vos, who was acting at the limit: In a sharp curve, she slipped away at first, was able to prevent the fall, but lost the chain in the process. Cant took advantage of this moment and shot forward like a phoenix from the ashes and passed Vos, who didn't want to admit defeat either. From that moment on, it was an incredibly gripping finale with numerous lead changes and a happier ending for Cant.

The Belgian's decisive move came on the home stretch, which she turned into with Vos on the back wheel. Since she didn't want to get involved in a direct sprint duel with her competitor, who is much stronger in this discipline, she attacked early on before the finish and Vos couldn't counter. Was it a lack of strength or was it a bit of a surprise? Probably a mixture of the two - but Sanne Cant's daring plan worked and she sank to the frozen ground behind the finish line as the new world champion. Czech Katerina Nash completed the podium, 21 seconds behind the winner.

Final Result Cyclocross World Championship Women Elite