‘It feels so great to come full circle’ – Jenny Rissveds on her Olympic mountain bike bronze medal

Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds was all smiles as she accepted her bronze medal and hugged an emotional Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France) on the podium of the women’s cross-country mountain bike race at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Rissveds had come full circle after some difficult years following her gold medal ride at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Rissveds was just 22 years old when she claimed the Olympic gold medal. Not having the tools to handle the pressure, both internal and external that followed that historic victory, she struggled with depression and an eating disorder and within a year of winning the Olympic title, left the sport. She took a two-year hiatus to seek treatment and simply ride her bike for fun before returning in 2019.