Kiwis again kept out of medals
WELLINGTON: Medals are proving hard to come by for New Zealand at the track cycling world championships in the Dutch city of Appeldoorn.
Manawatu’s Jordan Castle, at his first world championships, provided the day two highlight yesterday.
The 21yearold finished second in both his keirin races — the first round and the repechage — but was pipped in a sprint finish for a place in the semifinals.
The women’s team pursuit unit was shut out of a place in the gold medal round by the strong United States combination in round one, the Americans clocking 4min 16.340sec.
New Zealand’s Racquel Sheath, Rushlee Buchanan, Bryony Botha and Michaela Drummond recorded 4min 25.384sec, fading over the closing 2000m to finish sixthfastest and miss out on a place in the bronze medal ride.
The men’s team pursuiters were already confirmed in fifth position.
The men’s keirin was a particularly tight competition and Sam Webster, Eddie Dawkins and Castle were forced to repechages.
With only the winner to advance, Dawkins and Castle were both pipped into second place and Webster was fourth.
Invercargill 19yearold Tom Sexton, also at his first world championships, was 17th of 23 starters in the men’s scratch race. Like 20 of the riders, Sexton was lapped as winner Yauheni Karaliok (Belarus) set a furious pace.
Natasha Hansen and Emma Cumming qualified for match racing in the women’s sprint, Hansen qualifying 14th in 11.088sec and Cumming 23rd with 11.293sec.
Hansen held off the first round challenge of Korea’s Hyejin Lee, while Cumming went down to 10th qualifier Miriam Welte (Germany).
However Hansen’s lower qualifying position drew her against defending world and Olympic champion Kristina Vogel, of Germany, who edged out the Kiwi in the second round.
The fairytale story of British amateur Charlie Tanfield logged another remarkable chapter yesterday when, on his first appearance for the national team, he won gold in the men’s team pursuit.
Tanfield (21) forced his way into the national squad despite operating outside the heavily funded and hugely successful British Cycling setup after some startling performances in the national championships last year.
He played his part in a crushing victory over Denmark in the final as veteran Ed Clancy kept the British quartet on pace after the Danes took an early advan tage before being reeled in.
Triple Olympic pursuit champion Clancy said he was loving competing alongside the new generation as world champion debutants Kian Emadi and Ethan Hayter completed a newlook team.
‘‘We didn’t win a single worlds between London and Rio so we really pushed hard for this, every single one of us.
There was a big surprise in the men’s scratch race as Yauheni Karaliok, of Belarus, snatched gold after stealing a lap alongside Michele Scartezzini (Italy) and Australia’s Callum Scotson and kept his nose in front over the final laps.
There was another upset in the keirin as Colombia’s Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata took gold after coming from nowhere to blast through the favourites. — NZN/Reuters