RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Kristin Armstrong of the United States won her third consecutive Olympic time trial Wednesday, her golden effort on the brutal course leaving her in an exhausted heap on the road at the finish line.

Armstrong covered the course through driving wind and rain in 44 minutes, 26.42 seconds, beating reigning bronze medalist Olga Zabelinskaya of Russia by just 5.55 seconds. Anna van der Breggen of the Netherlands added a bronze medal to her gold from the road race.

Armstrong, who turns 43 on Thursday, joined speed skater Bonnie Blair as the only American women to win three gold medals in the same event at any Olympics. She also won in Beijing and London. Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk slid off the course, likely costing her a medal. She finished fourth.

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