Cycling: At the Cycle Cross World Championships in Hoogerheide, the Dutch women achieved a historic triple home win. Fem van Empel is only 20 years old and becomes world champion in cyclocross for the first time.
Fem van Empel wins the world title
It was a spectacular performance by the Dutch women at their home World Championships in Hoogerheide. As almost expected – or perhaps feared by their competitors – the Oranje dominated the podium. In the end, the 20-year-old Fem van Empel celebrated her first cyclocross world title. She beat her compatriot Puck Pieterse, also 20, by 39 seconds. Lucinda Brand finished third . This victory makes Fem van Empel the second-youngest world champion of all time. After winning the overall World Cup, she was considered the favorite before the race – and lived up to expectations. However, she benefited from a slight slip-up by the eventual runner-up, Puck Pieterse, midway through the race. The Italian Silvia Persico finished fourth, the best non-Dutch rider , 1 minute and 45 seconds behind. Last year's winner, Marianne Vos, did not start.
Nothing like celebrating on home soil!
Fem van Empel secures the 2023 UCI Cycle-Cross Women Elite World Champion title at #Hoogerheide2023.
Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/tZGnMqvJzH
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) February 4, 2023