‘Warrior spirit’ helps cyclist Kenny win 12th European title

Olympic track cycling champion Laura Kenny battled her way to victory in the women’s elimination race at the European Championships on Sunday for her second gold medal of the event and 12th European title overall.

The British cyclist beat Germany’s Anna Knauer in the sprint for gold on the final two laps after a tactically smart race, in which she was at the back of the pack several times but always found a gap to accelerate at the right time and stay in the race.

“It’s the warrior spirit that came to the fore,” Kenny said. “I didn’t feel great. I was up five times last night and (my son) didn’t actually fall asleep at all. But you get used to it. I don’t even feel like I’ve had a lack of sleep anymore, I just come in and get on with it.”

Kenny also won gold with Britain in Friday’s team pursuit, the first major title for the fourtime Olympic and seven-time world champion since giving birth to son Albie a year ago.

Silver medalist Knauer was full of praise for Kenny, saying “at championships she’s really incredibly strong all the time. She’s a class of her own.”

Kenny can add a third title when teaming up with Katie Archibald in the women’s madison on Tuesday.

Russia’s Evgenia Augustinas took bronze, repeating her achievement from last year. Defending champion Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands did not start after placing fourth in Saturday’s 100-lap points race.

On the final day of rowing, lightweight women’s double world champions Ionela-Livia Cozmiuc and Gianina-Elena Beleaga failed to add to Romania’s medal haul, but their nation still topped the final ranking with three golds and seven overall.

Olympic champion Ilse Paulis and her partner Marieke Keijser won the race for the Netherlands’ sole rowing gold as the Dutch men’s eight took silver after losing to Germany.

Both Switzerland and Norway won their first two gold medals to wrap up the four-day rowing competition.