The rain didn't deter the Belgian Evenepoel, who lived up to expectations and added the world title to his Olympic title in the discipline on his debut at the Games, ahead of Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert. In the women's race, Brown surprised everyone by taking silver ahead of Henderson and reigning champion Dygert. Dygert had an accident and finished third.

Evenepoel, who finished third in the recent Tour de France and is the reigning world champion in the discipline, crowned his season with gold. The Belgian rode at 53.7 km/h, breaking all records in the process. The silver medal went to another specialist, Italian Ganna.

The former beat him by 15 seconds. Third place went to another Belgian, Van Aert, who surprised everyone with his performance, finishing 35 seconds behind his compatriot.

From the start, it was Evenepoel who set the pace. British rider John Tarling was unlucky to have to change his bike due to a puncture. Tarling could have challenged for the gold medal. However, in the end he was beaten by the three medallists. While Evenepoel was leaving his rivals in the dust, the Belgians were savouring their success. 

Van Aert, who broke his collarbone in a crash during the spring classics, was not initially considered a contender. However, his potential was immense. Once he reached the finish line, he set the fastest time until the arrival of his two rivals. 

Ganna almost crashed at one point during the time trial, but managed to avoid a dangerous situation. He was brilliant in the final stages of the time trial, overtaking Van Aert at the line.

No-one could compete with Evenepoel. He was emotional at the finish line when he realised that his time had won him the gold medal. Remco Evenepoel started last with great anticipation. His compatriot Van Aert surprised everyone by using two disc wheels.

This was a very risky strategy given the difficult conditions. The front wheel is difficult to control after the corners, but once it's rolling it helps the rider. Van Aert took the risk and was able to fight for the medals. Evenepoel eventually took gold, despite expressing concerns about the roads on which the time trial course had been ridden a few days earlier.

Men's time trial results:

Remco Evenepoel (BEL) 36:12.16

Filippo Ganna (ITA) +15 s

Wout Van Aert (BEL) +35 s

Joshua Tarling (GBR) +27 s

Brandon McNulty (USA) +1:04

Stefan Bissegger (SWI) +1:26

Nelson Oliveira (POR) +1:30

Stefan Küng (SWI) +1:35

Maximilian Schachmann (GER) +1:38

Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) +1:43

Australian Brown was crowned Olympic time trial champion with victory in the 32.4-kilometre race between the Esplanade des Invalides and the Pont Alexandre III, an urban course through the streets of Paris where rain was a major factor. 

The Australian set the fastest times from the start, eventually surprising the favourites with a time of 41:09, an average of 49km/h. Silver went to Britain's Anna Henderson, who finished 1:31 behind. Bronze went to American Chloe Dygert, who was one second slower. 

Dygert, the reigning world champion after her triumph in Glasgow, was one of the favourites to win but was hampered by an Achilles tendon problem that prevented her from competing at 100%. She had only been able to compete on the road for three days, which affected her performance.

To make matters worse, Dygert crashed and fell. She didn't want to make excuses. She accepted that two riders had beaten her to the finish line. 

"I like this kind of weather. I like the temperature, so I can't complain too much. But I definitely noticed right away, I hit my leg against the frame, which caused cramps and other discomfort in my leg," Dygert said, as quoted by Cycling News. Before adding, "So there were moments here and there where I lost a bit of power. However, that's no excuse for finishing third," 

The rain undoubtedly influenced the outcome of the race, both in the women's and men's categories. Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky, an experienced and talented rider, also crashed and wasn't able to fight for the medals. Fifth and eighth place finishes for stage race winner Demi Vollering and recent Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini.

Women's time trial results:

Grace Brown (AUS) 39:38

Anna Henderson (GBR) +1:31

Chloe Dygert (USA) +1:32

Juliette Labous (FRA) +1:41

Demi Vollering (NED) +1:51

Lotte Kopecky (BEL) +1:56

Kim Cadzow +2:08

Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) +2:11

Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA) +2:13

Christina Schweinberger (AUT) +2:14