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Andrea Eskau (right) of Germany crosses the finish line to the gold ahead of Monique van der Vorst of the Netherlands in the women's individual road race HC A-C. [Agencies]
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Dutch handcyclist Monique van der Vorst narrowly lost gold to German veteran Andrea Eskau before a war of words erupted between the pair after the women's HC A-C road race on Saturday.
"I was in really good shape, but the team tactics of the Germans were very shady," van der Vorst, who has leg paralysis and survived two car accidents, told The Paralympian.
Eskau, 37, slipstreamed the 23-year-old for much of the 36.3km course, overtaking her just before the finish line to snatch gold by a wheel's length, or .13 sec.
Eskau's teammate Dorothee Vieth came home third, 26 sec behind her.
"We don't have any tactics specifically," Vieth said. "My teammate was a bit ill yesterday, but now she's won and I'm just happy."
Van der Vorst revealed the intimidating mind games her more experienced opponent played as they were locked together in the latter stages of the race.
"She said to me: 'It's over'.
"And I said: 'No, it's never over before the finish'.
"So I went according to my own plan and just went as hard as I could go. But she just got back to me, and was first to the finish line."
The conversation turned nasty when the younger rider took exception to some words of encouragement from her nemesis, a practising psychologist.
"That's sport. You are young," Eskau said, trying to comfort van der Vorst.
"You are old," the Dutch athlete, who earlier won two silver medals, snapped back.
The race was van der Vorst's last chance to win gold in the Beijing Paralympics, where the human-movement student had set her heart on at least one gold.
She has already won three world titles, six European Championship gold, five national road race titles and two time trials.
Van der Vorst has been confined to a wheelchair since 1998, when her left leg was paralyzed and she lost some use in her right knee.
During rehabilitation, she was introduced to handcycling.
"I get so much power from the bike, I feel really free," she says.
Van der Vorst's many successes began in 2002 when she won her first World Championship road race in Germany.
But her career took a blow when a car struck her in 2007.
Suffering whiplash, it took six months of recuperation before she got back on the track.
Still suffering residual problems, she finished 3rd in the time trial of the 2007 World Championships in Bordeaux, which earned her a berth for Beijing.
But while training in the United States in April, van der Vorst was hit by a car again and suffered heavy concussion as well as another dose of whiplash.
Despite this horrendous run of bad luck, she remains positive.
"If you don't like something, change it; and if you can't change it, change your attitude; but don't complain," she said.
Eskau revealed her strategy at the post-race press conference: "I knew she (Vorst) would lose her nerve. I just had to wait behind her.
"I knew it would all come down to a sprint.
"You have to stay calm, and that's what I did."