UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – TRACK, ROAD, MTB, BMX, PARA-CYCLING – GLASGOW – NZ WRAP DAY 4
Ellesse Andrews created history with a brilliant gold medal in the women’s keirin on day four of track action at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow, which is hosting 13 cycling disciplines staging world titles.
The 23-year-old from Christchurch became the first New Zealand rider to win an individual gold medal in a sprint discipline at a world championship, and it follows her silver medal in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics one year ago yesterday.
Her brilliantly planned race was perfectly executed to hold off Colombia’s two-time world championship medallist, Martha Bayona Pineda to claim the title.
It needed a photo finish to confirm the victory, with officials also checking a slight movement in the lane by the kiwi, before she could celebrate with her parents and grandfather in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
The gold medal takes New Zealand’s tally to five medals, equal best at a world championships, with three days of competition remaining.
Andrews was second in her quarterfinal behind Germany’s Emma Hinze, and rode confidently to qualify for the final after finishing second to another German, Lea Sophie Friedrich in the semifinal.
She drew the back mark in the final, pushed forward quickly when the derny left the track, and sprinted to the front with a lap to go. She held off the challenge down the back straight and lost the lead narrowly to Bayona but reclaimed the advantage with another push on the bend, holding on to win by the narrowest of margins.
Bayona was second 0.01s behind with eight-time world champion, Friedrich 0.1s back in third.
“This has been a dream for a long, long time. My last rainbow jersey was in elite juniors in 2017 so I have been pushing for this one for a long time and super-proud to bring it home for New Zealand this year,” said Andrews.
“We had planned for every scenario so when I drew six, me and Nick (Flyger) had a couple of words and I was super-clear on what I needed to do. And the race played out exactly how I wanted it too.
“The key was absolutely that push to stay in the lead around the bend. That last acceleration on the back straight was absolutely everything I had and from there honestly it was holding on as best I could because Martha (Pineda) was coming at me in.
“It was not until that photo finish was confirmed that I was sure but it has still not sunk in.
“It was so special to have both my parents and my granddad here to celebrate this moment with me. After every round I heard them cheering and waving at me.”
There is little respite for Andrews after a long night with presentations, media and doping to eat and get some rest before she returns for the individual sprint qualifying tomorrow morning.
In other action on the track, Tom Sexton was 11th fastest in qualifying in the 4000m individual pursuit clocking 4:11.793, with the gold medal won later by remarkable Italian Filippo Ganna, who overcame a two second deficit in the final two laps to beat GBR’s Daniel Bigham by 0.01s.
The 2019 world champion Campbell Stewart was 11th in the four-discipline omnium, going into the final points race in sixth. It proved a quite remarkable points race with a total of 49 laps gained by 18 riders in the 25km race.
Portugal’s Iuri Leitao won on 187 points, two points ahead of favourite Benjamin Thomas (FRA) who lapped the field four times and won the final double points sprint.
Earlier Emily Shearman finished 20th in the women’s elimination race.
Tomorrow’s day five competition features Andrews in sprint qualifying, George Jackson in the men’s elimination with Ally Wollaston and Bryony Botha competing in the two-rider Madison.
ROAD RACE
Bolton Equities Black Spoke professional, Ryan Christensen was the best of the kiwi riders in the 271km elite men’s road race.
He was part of an early nine-rider break that formed soon after the race began from Edinburgh and still with a healthy advantage when the race was halted after a protest blocked the road near Falkirk.
Once the race resumed, the group worked hard to retain their advantage onto the circuits around Glasgow, finally caught with 70kms remaining. He held on to finish 48th, 14m13s down on eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutch star recovered from a fall in the slippery conditions, going solo over the final lap to win by 1m37s from Belgian Wout van Aert with third to 2022 Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar (SLO).
New Zealand’s George Bennett was in a three-rider break that were closing in on the front bunch but they were unable to reassert themselves after the race stoppage.
It proved an extremely hard-fought contest around the 14 circuits in Glasgow, with only 51 of the 195 starters completing the race.
Road racing resumes on Thursday (NZT) with the under-23 time trial, with the timed test for elite and under-23 women on Friday, junior and elite men on Saturday with the women’s elite and under-23 road race on Sunday.
MTB MARATHON
Australian-based Wellington mountain biker, Samara Sheppard has finished sixth in the 95km elite women’s mountain bike marathon at the cross-country course from Peebles in the Scottish Borders.
Sheppard rode with a led pack until Austria’s Mona Mitterwallner stretched out in front at the midway point, finally winning in 5:07.50 with 54s back to South Africa’s Candice Lill with Germany’s Adelheid Morath third nearly 10 minutes behind the winner.
The kiwi was a further five minutes in arrears in a strong performance in the 53-strong field.