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great britainriders found their UCI track world Championships Made a strong start with two silver medals in the men’s and women’s team sprints.
individual sprint world champion emma finucane The line-up featured the only member of last year’s gold medal-winning team, with debutants Iona Moir and Rhianna Parris-Smith completing the squad on day one. santiagoChile.
The trio qualified fastest, a little more than a tenth faster than the Dutch, and took the gold medal ahead of Colombia. But they could not maintain their qualifying feats and ultimately finished 0.667 seconds behind the Netherlands’ Kimberly Kali, Hetty Van de Wouw and Steffi Van der Peet.
Finucane, who will aim to win a third individual title on Friday, said: “I’m very proud of both of them [Parris-Smith and Moir]This is their first World Championships and to go there to win a gold medal, stay calm, feel the pressure. I’ve been there before and it’s really tough, so to be standing next to these two I’m really proud and we couldn’t have asked for more.
In the men’s race Matthew Richardson – who had only switched allegiance to his birth country Great Britain after last year’s Paris Olympics, having previously represented Australia – led Joe Trueman and Harry Ledingham-Horne in another new-look team, with Hamish Turnball replacing Ledingham-Horne in the final.
The trio qualified second fastest behind the well-established team of rivals Roy van den Bergh, Jeffrey Hoogland and the Netherlands’ Harry Lovresen.
Britain were leading after good starts from Trueman and Richardson on laps one and two, but Dutch finisher and now 17-time world champion Lavresen showed his class to take the gold medal by more than half a second.
Richardson said: “It’s bitter-sweet to come away with a silver medal, but for me, my first medal at the World Championships in a GB skin suit would be amazing. I wish it was the top step, but I can’t be that crazy about it.”
Truman said: “I’m really happy, it’s the closest the Dutch have ever got and it’s a really positive first step in this cycle.” [to the LA Olympics in 2028]“We were ahead of them until the last half lap so I think it’s a really good start and it’s exciting that we can improve on that going forward.”
On day two, European madison silver medalist Maddy Leach finished sixth in the women’s scratch race, which was won by the Netherlands’ Lorena Wiebes in the bunch sprint.
The GB women’s team pursuit quartet of Meg Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jess Roberts qualified second fastest for tomorrow’s first round clash with Germany as they look to defend their title – albeit without Katie ArchibaldWho is it Focusing on elimination and madison races.
But the men’s team pursuit contingent will not get a chance to fight for a medal after losing to Australia in the first round and qualifying in third place.