Canadians hit finish line with surprising haul
Racing in her fourth medal round in less than a week, Canadian cyclist Jasmin Glaesser didn’t know if she had enough in the tank to earn a fourth medal at these Pan Am Games.
“I was really getting tired there the last 30 kilometres off the front. At the same time . . . knowing that the crowd was behind me just brought me through all the way to the line,” the German-born, Vancouver-raised Glaesser said after she captured her second Pan Am gold, in the women’s road race Saturday afternoon. Her previous win came on the track in the team pursuit. She also won silver in the individual time trial and omnium. The crowd’s energy was much needed as Glaesser battled fellow frontrunner Marlies Mejias of Cuba for the final two of five16.5-kilometre laps, after breaking away from the pack by a full minute. They remained close until seconds before crossing the finish line.
“I think I rode it really smart at the finish. I let the Cuban rider lead it out a little bit and waited until the last possible moment to jump past her,” Glaesser said.
Her gold pushed Canada past its previous best Pan Am medal count of 196, set in 1999 in Winnipeg. Teammate Allison Beveridge earned the bronze by breaking away from the peloton in the final stretch of the race at Ontario Place West Channel.
Kirsti Lay from Medicine Hat, Alta., Canada’s third rider, finished in 29th place.
The hosts finished with an impressive 20 cycling medals in all disciplines: BMX, mountain, road and track. Montreal’s Guillaume Boivin closed out the session with a bronze in the men’s road race, inches behind winner Miguel Ubeto Aponte of Venezuela.
“It’s mixed feelings. It’s another medal for Cycling Canada, but for me it wasn’t the colour I wanted, for sure,” said Boivin, adding that hesitation in the final sprint may have been the difference. Teammate Sean MacKinnon finished 18th, while fellow Canadians Hugo Houle and Remi Pelletier didn’t complete the 165-kilometre route.
The overall success of the Canadian team eased any individual disappointments, Beveridge said.
“We knew we had a strong team, but for us to come in as a team and get so many medals and golds, and the times on the track we’re laying down — sprinters, endurance, everyone, Canadian records altered, personal bests. It’s really amazing to be part of that.”