The photo of Mathieu van der Poel who went bankrupt at the Olympics has been chosen as Dutch Sports Photo of the Year. The photo was taken in Tokyo by ANP photographer Robin van Lonkhuijsen. “I was lucky that I chose the right place.”
Van der Poel was the big favorite for the gold in mountain biking at the Games last year. He had looked forward to that race for years. Especially for this he had also stopped prematurely in the Tour de France.
The fall in the first lap on the Olympic course marked the end. A plank that was there during training was removed in the game. That was not known to Van der Poel, who is still struggling with back problems that are partly related to that fall.
The photographer was exactly in the right place. “I pulled my device and then looked to the right again, where another rider in orange arrived. Suddenly I heard oh’s and ah’s. Only when he was on the ground did I think: Gee, that’s Mathieu van der Poel. I was lucky that I chose the right place.”
The annual election for the most beautiful sports photo is organized by the Dutch Sports Press (NSP) and the Zilveren Camera foundation.