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Belgian police have identified the spectator who was caught throwing a drink at Marianne Vos during last weekend’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The man in question has been invited in to explain and take responsibility for his actions by the authorities, as reported by Telegraaf.
Television broadcast cameras captured the moment the liquid was thrown from the roadside onto Vos as the leaders hit the foot of the Muur van Geraardsbergen. The three-time road World Champion went on to take a famous win ahead of Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
“Unfortunately, this wonderful sporting event was overshadowed by an incident in which Marianne Vos had a cup of drink thrown in the face by a spectator. This incident sparked outrage within the cycling community,” said the local Geraardsbergen/Lierde police.
Vos confirmed the incident took place after the race, and that it had taken some of the shine off of her 249th professional victory.
“I did indeed get something over me,” Vos said. “That is not part of it and it is a shame, but yes… It happened”
“Immediately after the incident, we took all necessary steps and acted decisively,” said Chief of Police Patrice De Mets.
“The perpetrator has now been identified. We have invited this person for questioning to take responsibility for his behaviour. The criminal assessment will be made after the interrogation by the Belgian public prosecutor’s office.”
Spectators throwing liquid from the roadside and shouting abuse are not isolated to this incident and fellow Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel reportedly faced similar treatment at a cyclocross race at the end of last year.
Van der Poel retaliated by spitting at the spectators which saw him receive a €250 fine from the UCI, but had no regrets stating after the race that “After a while, it’s enough, even for me.”
The spitting incident actually occurred in Hulst which is in the Netherlands, but Van der Poel reposted a statement from a witness who claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that “those Belgian ‘fans’ were throwing urine and beer at him. I stood next to them.
“A few among those thousands of other – exemplary – supporters felt it necessary not only to taunt and pelt Mathieu van der Poel with beer,” said the organisers in the race in Hulst.
“As an organization, we are very clear about this: these types of people do not belong on our [event] or on any other cyclocross course or sports competition.”
Helpt u even de boerenlul te identificeren die bier gooit op Marianne Vos op de Muur van Geraardsbergen? @sporza_koers pic.twitter.com/01RtzTTFH8February 24, 2024
