Cyclist Grace Brown has won Australia’s first medal at the 2024 Olympics on the opening day of competition, taking gold with a dominant performance in the individual time trial held on the slippery city streets of a rainy Paris.

The 32-year-old completed the 32.4km course, starting close to the Eiffel Tower before a loop around the city’s east, in 39min 38secs, 1min 31sec ahead of silver medallist Anna Henderson of Great Britain and US rider Chloé Dygert in third

The woman who plans to step away from the sport at the peak of her powers only came to terms with her achievement an hour after she had crossed the line, in the middle of a scrum among the world’s media.

“I think it’s sinking in now that I’m speaking to everyone and replaying the race and just understanding the significance of winning a gold medal,” she said. “Like, it’s a really big deal.”

In an event where competitors are often separated by seconds, the gap to Henderson indicates this was an otherwordly performance. “The margin is a bit insane, to be honest,” she said.

The Victorian was updated via radio of her expanding lead over the course of the race. Yet she was mindful she didn’t want to let up, even as other riders around her – including Dygert – came to grief on the slippery surface. “I just gave it everything I had left in the last couple of ks, and I think I emptied the tank pretty well, but never faded.”

The victory is the first Australian women’s cycling Olympic gold since Anna Meares in 2012, and the first men’s or women’s gold on the road since Sara Carrigan in 2004.

When asked whether she was ready to be mentioned in the same conversations as other great Australian Olympians, Brown was modest. “It’s hard to get your head around other people viewing little old me in that same way, so yeah, I think it might take a little while to get used to,” she said.

Australia’s newest gold medallist had declared leading into the Games that missing a medal in Paris would be a disappointment, and last month she announced a plan to retire from the sport at the end of the year.

But on a dramatic day marred by several accidents by other riders, including a fall from Dygert, the Australian met her high expectations with a powerful performance that represented the culmination of her glittering career and kick-started her team’s Olympic campaign.

Brown said she was feeling calm until the morning, when the pressure of the situation began to dawn on her. “You’re sort of waiting there before the race, not knowing if it’s going to be a shocker or a great one. Then when I’m in the race, I feel I find my zone, and I felt really strong and was able to execute everything exactly how I planned,” she said. “So, yeah, it was almost a perfect race.”

The gold was an extraordinary achievement after Brown only took up cycling at 23 following an injury-plagued cross country career. “When I was running, I had this feeling, like if I really nailed everything, maybe I could get on an Olympic team or something,” she said.

“But I kept getting injured, so I never was able to get up to that next level. I started cycling just out of frustration with my injuries and – I don’t know – it just went really well.”

The Australian’s post-race media engagements were interrupted when husband Elliot Smith shouted to get her attention, and the pair embraced over the barrier. Brown has stated how much she misses her life with Smith in Australia was a major factor in her decision to retire. “I’ve been away from Elliot for a lot of the year, a lot of the last six years or longer, and this gold medal sort of makes it all worth it,” Brown said.

Smith, himself shaking and close to tears, said it was a “very special” day, and he wasn’t used to watching Brown. He only caught up with her briefly before the race after travelling in recent days.

“I just told her that no matter what happens, she’s taken everyone along for an incredible journey and we’re super proud of her, and for her to go out there and smash it like she did is just absolutely incredible,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot to look forward to and hopefully this can put a bow on her career and she’ll look very fondly on what she’s achieved.”

Despite the dominant win, Brown confirmed she had no intention to reverse her decision to retire. “It’s still the plan to retire at the end of the year. I think I can be really proud to go out on such a high,” she said.

Brown will compete again in Paris in the women’s road race in eight days.