The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Burke upbeat despite GB missing out on medals
HONG KONG: Britain lose out in track world title team pursuit events
Two-time Olympic champion Steven Burke has no doubt Great Britain can win a fourth successive team pursuit title at the Tokyo 2020 Games despite Australia winning another Track Cycling World Championships title.
Chris Latham claimed bronze in the non-Olympic scratch race for Britain’s second medal on the second day in Hong Kong, which had seen earlier near misses and disappointment.
Britain’s women’s team pursuit squad finished fifth, their male counterparts fourth and Katy Marchant, Joe Truman and Lewis Oliva suffered early elimination in the sprint events.
Dundee’s Mark Stewart, Kian Emadi, Ollie Wood and Burke missed out on the podium in the four-rider, 4km event, clocking three minutes 58.566.
That was seven seconds slower than the gold medal-winning ride of 3:51.503 as Australia won a sixth world title in eight years.
Burke won Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016 last August, but has just one title from the annual Track World Championships, claimed in Melbourne in 2012. New Zealand won in 2015.
“If you look at their (Australia) team they’ve got three world champions from last year, two of them went to the Olympics,” Burke said.
“Don’t get me wrong. We’re trying our best to win. (But) all you can do is try your best. You can’t ask for more.
“I’m very confident, 100%, that we can bridge that gap and I think we’ve got a great chance of winning the World Championships in the next couple of years and I’m still confident going towards Tokyo.”
Burke combined with Ed Clancy, Owain Doull and Sir Bradley Wiggins to win gold in Rio as Britain followed up their Olympic successes in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Wiggins has now retired, but Clancy is on an extended break and Doull is concentrating on the road, with both anticipated to be planning returns to the team for Tokyo.
“Leading up to Rio we didn’t win one world title, even in a home worlds (in London last year),” Burke added.
“We’ve got a big squad. We’re all going to push each other really to make these next worlds and Olympics. That’s what you want. That’s what it takes to get a winning team.”
New Zealand were second in 3:53.979 and Italy beat Britain to bronze in 3:56.935.
Meanwhile, Awang Azizulhasni celebrated winning Malaysia’s first Track Cycling World Championships title with his trademark wheelie in a popular success on day two in Hong Kong.
Last August in Rio Awang became Malaysia’s first Olympic cycling medallist, with bronze as Britain’s Jason Kenny won Keirin gold.
And now the 29-year-old has the world champion’s rainbow jersey after beating Fabian Puerta of Colombia and Tomas Babek of the Czech Republic at the Hong Kong Velodrome.
“I just screamed, watched the scoreboard and saw my name in first place. I just cannot believe it,” Awang said.
“I’ve been trying for 10 years. Finally it’s my time to be a world champion. It’s unbelievable.”