Sisters Daria and Wiktoria Pikulik had a chance to win another prize on Friday afternoon. medal for Poland at the Olympic Games in Paris. The 27-year-old and her sister, who is one year younger, competed in the Madison race in cycling track. Our competitors competed in the same line-up three years ago in Tokyo, when they took sixth place. Unfortunately, this time they were unable to win the medal again.
Daria Pikulik didn't mince her words. She revealed the whole truth
The Polish representatives took only seventh place. They rode quite actively, but in the end they did not manage to join the breakaway and make up a lap. They scored points in a total of six intermediate stages. Right after the end of the competition, both of them gave an interview for TVP Sport, in which they talked about their impressions of the race. – We were rather counting on a medal. That's how the beginning of the race went. We had to make up a little bit because of me – began the younger Wiktoria.
– The ambitions were a bit higher. Despite everything, we did everything we could. I have nothing to reproach myself for in preparations – added Daria Pikulik. A moment later, the older sister exposed the Polish Cycling Association, telling about the bizarre behind-the-scenes training for the Olympic Games. It's hard to believe her words.
– In February I had to pay for the training camp myself. We didn't even have any information about financing until April. We didn't have bikes, we didn't have anything. We got our suits the day before the start. So it's not our fault. We fought until the end. We can be proud of ourselves – she said directly.
Then the 27-year-old added that the cyclists “don't have support or what they need”. – We have talented competitors, but what can you do without support? It clips your wings right from the start. You feel inferior, you feel that they don't believe in you. Despite everything, we thank our coaches – she concluded. Many internet users even ridiculed the Polish Cycling Association and the minister sports Sławomir Nitras for neglecting this discipline.
Interestingly, this is not the first scandal involving the Polish cycling association during the Paris Olympics. Even the commentators on TV pointed out the mistakes and pathologies of this organization. – Track cycling is a beautiful sport, but in an inept relationship, with inept officials, these cyclists shine despite everything and they really need to be appreciated – said one of them.
Here are the results from the Madison women’s track cycling race:
- Chiara Consonni, Vittoria Guazzini (Italy) 37 points
- Neah Evans, Elinor Barker (UK) 31
- Maike van der Duin, Lisa van Belle (Netherlands) 28
- Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams (USA) 18
- Marion Borras, Clara Copponi (France) 17
- Amalie Dideriksen, Julie Leth (Denmark) 16
- Daria Pikulik, Wiktoria Pikulik (Poland) 14
- Bryony Botha, Emily Shearman (N. Zealand) 7