Küng: Once again, I came up short at World Championships

Stefan Küng (Switzerland) was disappointed with a fifth-place finish at elite men's time trial in Bruges at Worlds
Stefan Küng (Switzerland) was disappointed with a fifth-place finish at elite men's time trial in Bruges at Worlds (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Stefan Küng looked shell-shocked as he wheeled into the media zone upon finishing his time trial at the World Championships in Flanders. The Swiss rider sat stone-faced on his bike, staring blankly at a television screen as it told him just how far he was from the gold medal he’d so craved.

Küng had been widely tipped as a bona fide favourite for Sunday’s 43.3km race, and with confidence sky-high following his capture of the European title last weekend, he believed in it, himself.

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.