{{short description|Austrian cyclist (born 1991)}} {{infobox cyclist | name = Anna Kiesenhofer | image = 2022-08-17 European Championships 2022 – Road Cycling Women's Time Trial by Sandro Halank–055.jpg | alt = | caption = Kiesenhofer at the 2022 European Championships | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1991|2|14}} | birth_place = [[Kreuzstetten|Niederkreuzstetten]], Austria | death_date = | death_place = | weight = | currentteam = | discipline = Road | role = Rider | ridertype = [[Time trialist]] | amateuryears1 = 2015–2016 | amateurteam1 = — | amateuryears2 = 2018–2019 | amateurteam2 = — | amateuryears3 = 2020 | amateurteam3 = Cookina–Graz | amateuryears4 = 2021–2022 | amateurteam4 = — | proyears1 = 2017 | proteam1 = {{UCI team code|LSL|2017}} | proyears2 = 2023–2024 | proteam2 = {{UCI team code|CGS|2023}} | majorwins = '''[[Classic cycle races|One-day races and Classics]]''' :[[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|Olympic Road Race]] ([[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|2020]]) :{{nowrap|[[Austrian National Road Race Championships|National Road Race Championships]]}} (2019, 2024) :[[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|National Time Trial Championships]]<br>(2019, 2020, 2021, 2024) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's [[road bicycle racing|road cycling]]}} {{MedalCountry| {{AUT}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} {{MedalGold| [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020 Tokyo]] | [[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|{{nowrap|Road race}}]]}} | show-medals = yes}} '''Anna Kiesenhofer''' ({{IPA|de|ˈanaː ˈkiːsn̩ˌhoːfɐ}}; born 14 February 1991) is an Austrian professional cyclist and [[mathematician]], who last rode for [[UCI Women's Team|UCI Women's WorldTeam]] {{UCI team code|CGS}}.<ref name=":0" />
Kiesenhofer gained fame when she won the gold medal in the [[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|women's individual road race]] at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]], the first Summer Olympics gold medal for [[Austria at the Olympics|Austria]] since [[Austria at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004]] and their first cycling Olympic gold medal since 1896.<ref name=Curry /> Unfancied for a medal pre-race, she attacked in the first seconds of the event and soloed to victory, her pursuers mistakenly unaware of her position, in a win described as "one of the greatest upsets in Olympics and cycling history".<ref name="coyhaq">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/sport/anna-kiesenhofer-olympic-gold-tokyo-2020-spt-intl/index.html|title=Anna Kiesenhofer is a math genius who just pulled off one of the biggest shocks in Olympics history|publisher=CNN|last1=Wire |first1=Coy|last2=Haq|first2=Sana Noor|date=July 26, 2021|access-date=July 26, 2021 }}</ref>
== Academic career == Kiesenhofer studied mathematics at the [[TU Wien|Vienna University of Technology]] (2008–11), completing her [[Master's degree|Master]]'s degree at [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]] (2011–12).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/sport/tokyo-olympics-how-austria-s-anna-kiesenhofer-went-from-cam-9208994/ |title=Tokyo Olympics: How Austria's Anna Kiesenhofer went from Cambridge University Cycling Club to women's road race gold|first=Mark|last=Taylor| date=2021-07-25|publisher=Cambridge Independent|accessdate=2022-07-16}}</ref> She earned her PhD at the [[Polytechnic University of Catalonia]] with her thesis on ''[[Integrable system]]s on b-[[symplectic manifold]]s'' in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Anna Kiesenhofer – The Mathematics Genealogy Project|url=https://www.mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=211772|access-date=2021-07-25|website=www.mathgenealogy.org}}</ref> From 2017 to 2021 Kiesenhofer was a postdoctoral researcher at the [[École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne]] (EPFL) and was part of a group researching nonlinear [[partial differential equations]] which arise in mathematical physics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Collaborators |url=https://www.epfl.ch/labs/pde/people/formers-collaborators/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=EPFL |language=en-GB}}</ref> Kiesenhofer has authored several scholarly journal articles including:
* Braddell, R., Kiesenhofer, A., & Miranda, E. (2020)''. <math>b</math>-Structures on Lie groups and Poisson reduction.'' {{arXiv|2010.04770}} * Kiesenhofer, A., & Krieger, J. (2021). Small data global regularity for half-wave maps in <math>n=4</math> dimensions. ''Communications in Partial Differential Equations'', ''46''(12), 2305–2324. {{doi|10.1080/03605302.2021.1936021}} * Braddell, R., Kiesenhofer, A., & Miranda, E. (2018). ''A <math>b</math>-symplectic slice theorem''. {{arXiv|1811.11894}} * Kiesenhofer, A., & Miranda, E. (2017). Cotangent Models for Integrable Systems. ''Communications in Mathematical Physics'', ''350''(3), 1123–1145. {{doi|10.1007/s00220-016-2720-x}} * Kiesenhofer, A., & Miranda, E. (2016). Noncommutative integrable systems on b-symplectic manifolds. ''Regular & Chaotic Dynamics'', ''21''(6), 643–659. {{doi|10.1134/S1560354716060058}}
== Cycling career == Kiesenhofer participated in [[triathlon]] and [[duathlon]] from 2011 to 2013. After an injury, she had to limit her running and therefore concentrated on cycling from 2014. She joined the Catalan team ''Frigoríficos Costa Brava – Naturalium''. In 2015 she entered the [[ Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche|Tour de l'Ardèche]] but she was the victim of a fall on the first stage. She failed to recover and after several difficult stages decided to withdraw.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anna Kiesenhofer. " Les courses que je trouve les plus attractives sont des épreuves difficiles comme l'Emakumeen Euskal Bira, le Tour d'Italie et le Tour de l'Ardèche."|url=http://www.velo101.com/feminines/article/interview-danna-kiesenhofer--15389|website=velo101|date=9 September 2016 |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>
In 2016, she won the Coupe d'Espagne.<ref>{{cite web|title=COPA DE ESPAÑA DE CICLISMO FEMENINO 2016|url=http://www.rfec.com/sites/rfec.com/files/Resumen%20Copa%20de%20Espa%C3%B1a%202016.pdf|website=RFEC|language=es|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109113248/http://www.rfec.com/sites/rfec.com/files/Resumen%20Copa%20de%20Espa%C3%B1a%202016.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In September, she took part in the Tour de l'Ardèche in the international team. On the third stage, the first breakaway started at the 12th kilometer. It was composed of [[Dani Christmas]], [[Anna Plichta]], Sara Olsson, [[Vita Heine]] and [[Silvia Valsecchi]]. Twenty kilometers away, they were joined by Kiesenhofer. In the descent of the pass of Murs, the groups were seven minutes and twenty-five seconds ahead. After Blavac, Anna Plichta went off alone and she had a lead of a minute thirty at the foot of [[Mont Ventoux]]. On the ascent, Kiesenhofer joined her. She won the stage by almost four minutes over [[Flávia Oliveira]] and she took the lead in the overall standings.<ref>{{cite web|title=3ème étape 2016|url=http://tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/3eme-etape-2016|website=Site officiel|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912183723/http://www.tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/3eme-etape-2016|archive-date=12 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The next day, Flávia Oliveira escaped in turn and she took Kiesenhofer's pink jersey.<ref>{{cite web|title=4ème étape 2016|url=http://tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/4eme-etape-2016|website=Site officiel|access-date=22 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912012222/http://www.tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/4eme-etape-2016|archive-date=12 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She kept her second place in the overall standings until the end of the race.<ref>{{cite web|title=7ème étape 2016|url=http://tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/7eme-etape-2016|website=Site officiel|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918013122/http://tcfia.org/index.php/actualites/tcfia-2016/7eme-etape-2016|archive-date=18 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In July 2021, as Austria's sole representative in the 137 km-long Olympic [[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|women's road race]] in [[Tokyo, Japan]], she won the gold medal, crossing the finish line 75 seconds in front of [[Annemiek van Vleuten]] of the Netherlands.<ref name=Curry/><ref name=Benson/> Kiesenhofer trained for the event without a coach or a professional team, and was not viewed as a contender to win a medal.<ref name=Benson/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Boren |first1=Cindy |title=A Dutch cyclist thought she had won Olympic gold, but an Austrian was way ahead of her |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/25/anna-kiesenhofer-olympic-cycling/ |access-date=26 July 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210725204610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/25/anna-kiesenhofer-olympic-cycling/ |archive-date=25 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the race, she initiated a breakaway from the start, and was joined by four other competitors.<ref name=Benson>{{cite news |last1=Benson |first1=Daniel |title=Olympics: Shock gold for Anna Kiesenhofer in women's road race |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/olympic-games-2021/women-s-road-race/results/ |access-date=25 July 2021 |work=[[cyclingnews.com]] |date=25 July 2021}}</ref> With 86 km to go, the leading group, now down to Kiesenhofer, [[Omer Shapira]], and [[Anna Plichta]], formed a 10-minute advantage over the chasing [[peloton]].<ref name="Curry">{{cite news |last1=McCurry |first1=Justin |title=Anna Kiesenhofer claims shock road race glory as Van Vleuten mistakes silver for gold |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/25/anna-kiesenhofer-claims-shock-road-race-glory-as-van-vleuten-mistakes-silver-for-gold-olympics |access-date=25 July 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=25 July 2021}}</ref> Kiesenhofer broke away by herself for the final 41 km while climbing the Kagosaka Pass, dropping Shapira and Plichta, who were later caught by the peloton.<ref name=Benson/><ref name=Parker/> Many in the peloton, including silver medalist Van Vleuten who celebrated mistakenly thinking she had won the gold,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olympics-van-vleuten-celebrates-but-mistakes-silver-for-gold/|title=Olympics: Van Vleuten celebrates but mistakes silver for gold|first=Amy|last=Jones|work=CyclingNews|date=25 July 2021|access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> finished the race unaware that Kiesenhofer was still in front of them.<ref name=Parker>{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Ian |title=Anna Kiesenhofer storms to gold as runner-up crosses line thinking she had won |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/anna-kiesenhofer-storms-gold-runner-101910116.html |access-date=25 July 2021 |work=[[Yahoo! Sports]] |agency=[[PA Media]] |date=25 July 2021}}</ref> Kiesenhofer later said she "couldn't believe" she won adding that she would have been happy with a top 25 finish.<ref name="Gay">{{cite news |last1=Gay |first1=Jason |title=The Math Ph.D. Who Just Shocked Olympic Cycling |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tokyo-olympic-cycling-anna-kiesenhofer-road-race-11627229016 |access-date=26 July 2021 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210725205539/https://www.wsj.com/articles/tokyo-olympic-cycling-anna-kiesenhofer-road-race-11627229016 |archive-date=25 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
After racing as a privateer in 2022, Kiesenhofer rode for [[Roland Cycling]] team for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Farr |first=Stephen |date=2023-01-31 |title=Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer joins Israel-Premier Tech-Roland |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/olympic-champion-anna-kiesenhofer-joins-israel-premier-tech-roland/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=cyclingnews.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anna KIESENHOFER |url=https://www.uci.org/rider-details/928703 |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=UCI |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Instagram |postid=DEnN53QN_3L |user=annakiesenhofer |title=I don't have a team right now and my goals for the season are still not completely defined (although probably there will be a big focus on time-trialing and races with the national team). |author=Anna Kiesenhofer |date=9 January 2025}}</ref> In 2025, she joined [[Team Picnic PostNL (women's team)|Team Picnic PostNL]] as a trainer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympic Champion Anna Kiesenhofer Joins Team Picnic–PostNL as Trainer |url=https://voxwomen.com/olympic-champion-anna-kiesenhofer-joins-team-picnic-postnl-as-trainer/ |access-date=30 May 2025 |work=Voxwomen |date=27 May 2025}}</ref>
==Major results== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} ;2015 : 1st Overall Semaine Cantalienne ::1st Stages 2 & 6 ;2016 : 2nd Overall [[Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche]] ::1st Stage 3 : 2nd [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]], National Road Championships : [[Copa de España]] ::2nd Gran Premio Comunidad de Cantabria ::2nd Trofeo Zamora ::4th Trofeo Gobierno de La Rioja ::5th Zizurkil-Villabona ::7th Trofeo Ria de Marin ::10th Trofeo Bicicletas Jonny ;2018 : 5th Thun-West Time trial ;2019 : National Road Championships ::1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Road Race Championships|Road race]] ::1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]] : 4th Thun-West Time trial : 5th [[Ljubljana–Domžale–Ljubljana TT]] : 5th [[2019 European Road Championships#Elite|Time trial]], UEC European Road Championships : 8th [[Chrono des Nations]] ;2020 : 1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]], National Road Championships : 1st Hochkar Bergeinzelzeitfahren Time trial : 3rd Overall [[2020 Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche|Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche]] ;2021 : 1st [[File:Gold medal olympic.svg|15px]] [[Cycling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's individual road race|Road race]], [[2020 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] : 1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]], National Road Championships : 2nd [[Chrono des Nations]] : 7th [[2021 European Road Championships – Women's elite time trial|Time trial]], [[2021 European Road Championships|UEC European Road Championships]] ;2022 : National Road Championships ::2nd [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]] ::2nd [[Austrian National Road Race Championships|Road race]] : 5th [[2022 European Road Championships – Women's time trial|Time trial]], [[2022 European Road Championships|UEC European Road Championships]] : 10th [[2022 UCI Road World Championships – Women's time trial|Time trial]], [[2022 UCI Road World Championships|UCI Road World Championships]] ;2023 : National Road Championships ::1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]] ::5th [[Austrian National Road Race Championships|Road race]] : 1st [[Chrono des Nations]] : 1st Chrono Féminin de la Gatineau : 1st Chrono de la Sionge : 3rd Championnats d'Europe des Grimpeurs : 6th [[2023 European Road Championships – Women's time trial|Time trial]], [[2023 European Road Championships|UEC European Road Championships]] ;2024 : National Road Championships ::1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Road Race Championships|Road race]] ::1st [[File:MaillotAustria.PNG|20px]] [[Austrian National Time Trial Championships|Time trial]] : 3rd Grand Prix MOPT {{div col end}}
== Awards == Kiesenhofer was awarded the [[Niki Lauda|Niki]] prize as ''[[Austrian Sports Personality of the Year|Sportlerin des Jahres 2021]]'' (Sportswoman of the Year) by Sports Media Austria, an association of sports journalists.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sportlerwahl : Kiesenhofer und Kriechmayr holen Niki|periodical=|publisher=|url=https://sport.orf.at/stories/3085587/|format=|access-date=|last=|date=2021-10-14|language=|pages=|quote=}}</ref> That year she was also named [[Lower Austria]]'s sportswoman of the year and won the international success category at ''[[Die Presse]]'''s Austrian of the Year awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/anna-kiesenhofer-named-austrian-sportswoman-of-the-year/ |title=Anna Kiesenhofer named Austrian sportswoman of year |last=Price |first=Matilda |date=28 October 2021 |website=[[cyclingnews.com]] |access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|anna-kiesenhofer.com}} * {{UCI rider|name=Anna Kiesenhofer}} * {{Olympics.com|anna-kiesenhofer}} * {{Team Austria|anna-kiesenhofer/2811}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{succession box|before=[[Ivona Dadic]]|title=[[Austrian Sportspersonality of the year|Austrian Sportswoman of the year]]|years=2021|after=''Incumbent''}} {{s-end}}{{Footer Olympic Champions Road Cycling Women}} {{Austrian National Road Race Championships (women)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiesenhofer, Anna}} [[Category:Austrian female cyclists]] [[Category:1991 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Olympic cyclists for Austria]] [[Category:Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Austria]] [[Category:Olympic gold medalists in cycling]] [[Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:21st-century Austrian mathematicians]] [[Category:People from Mistelbach District]] [[Category:TU Wien alumni]] [[Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Polytechnic University of Catalonia alumni]] [[Category:Academic staff of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne]] [[Category:Austrian women mathematicians]] [[Category:Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:21st-century Austrian sportswomen]]