Kiesenhofer stretched her arms in the air in a winning gesture as she crossed the finish line.
A few minutes later, one of the pre-favorites did the same - the Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten.
- I thought I had won, she says according to AP.
Her coach told me that she actually took silver, and she broke down in tears.
- I was a little scared that she thought she had won, says commentator Robin Fomin in Discovery +.
New disappointment
Britain's Lizzie Deignan, who was in the close group at the end, was also sure that van Vleuten won.
- The best person won here today.
Annemiek was obviously the strongest so all credit to her, says Deignan to the BBC.
For van Vleuten, it was another disappointment.
The 38-year-old led five years ago in Rio, before she crashed seriously.
A crash that gave her a concussion and three lumbar fractures.
Dutch teammate Anna van der Breggen was involved and fought for the medals.
Nor was she aware of Kiesenhofer's jerks.
- I did not know that there were still cyclists in front of us.
I thought we cycled for gold, says van der Breggen.