– To be honest, I was more nervous before Saturday's stage. I'm calm because I know I'll do everything in my power – said Katarzyna Niewiadoma just before the last stage of the women's Tour de France, a race she ultimately won! And in what style. Although she didn't manage to triumph on Sunday and finished fourth, she won the final classification by just… four seconds. In doing so, she achieved one of the greatest successes of her career.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma's explosion of joy. These scenes will go down in history
It's no wonder that after crossing the finish line, emotions reached their peak and took over. Niewiadoma got off her bike and sat down under one of the barriers. Tears appeared on her face. The Polish cyclist couldn't believe what she had just done. “What?! What?! ” she kept repeating, and after a moment she screamed with joy and fell into the arms of the women around her. It was obvious that she was having trouble controlling her overwhelming emotions.
– Madness. I would like to thank so many people, starting with my husband, family, the whole team, everyone who prepared me for this. So many people had a hand in this victory – Niewiadoma emphasized in front of the cameras.
The Polish woman's success was widely echoed throughout the country. Among those who congratulated her were Michał Kwiatkowski. “Kaaaaaaaasia! That was crazy,” he wrote on X.
As mentioned above, winning the Tour de France was one of the greatest achievements in the cyclist's career. She can also boast a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships in the mass start, as well as a silver and bronze medal at the European Championships. She also won gold twice at the Old Continent's event, but in the U-23 mass start.