She celebrated as if she had won a gold. Except she hadn’t.

Annamiek van Vleuten of Team Netherlands celebrates crossing the finishing line winning the silver medal on Sunday.Credit...Tim De Waele/Getty ImagesIt was the crowning achievement of her cycling career. Except it wasn’t.

When 38-year-old Annamiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands crossed the finish line of the women’s cycling road race on Sunday, she threw her arms in the air, broke into a wide smile and celebrated her first gold medal. The problem? She wasn’t the first rider across the line.

That was Austria’s Anna Kiesenhofer, who had broken away much earlier in the race and coasted to a stunning, surprise victory. Kiesenhofer’s profile was so low and her breakaway so surprising, in fact,…