Kalentieva looks toward world championships

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After finishing the 2012 Olympic Games in fourth place, mountain biker Irina Kalentieva (Topeak Ergon) has shifted her attention to the rest of her season including the cross country world championships in September and the marathon world championships in October.

"I am now focused on the [cross country] world championships in Austria, where I want to finish in the top three, and then perhaps at the marathon world championships in France - perhaps I will podium there?"

Kalentieva is a former cross country world champion. At the Olympic Games on Saturday, she raced for Russia in front of 20,000 spectators.

She just missed out on a medal, spending much of the race on her own in fourth place. She crossed the line in 1:32:33, just 33 seconds behind bronze medallist Georgia Gould of the USA.

"Naturally I am not disappointed with fourth," said the 34-year-old. It was clear to me that I could have got a medal, but all the same, I am happy enough because I felt good during the race, and I rode well."

Kalentieva never gave up hope on winning a medal; after all anything could have happened to the first three ladies, especially with such small gaps between the top racers. "But fourth is also damn good!" she said.

"I had prepared well for the race. I did everything that I planned to do. It all worked. My start was good and the bike functioned perfectly. I felt that I was better positioned on the bike, and had more power on the climbs."