Paralympic World Cup 2008 - Manchester

 

9th May 2008 - Day 2 - Afternoon Session

Sarah Storey with paralympic legen Tanni Grey-Thompson

Men's Tandem Sprint 1/4 Finals B/Vi Male

Heat 1: Anthony Kappes and Jon Norfolk made it through to the tandem sprint semis with a convincing win over the German duo Arnold and Ratze. The Germans hung back and then tried to go under the Brits on the back straight with a lap and half to go. Norfolk very quickly shut the door on them and forced them onto the infield and they inevitably had to back off and from then on it was simple for Brits. The Germans sportingly accepted the result, which stood.

Anthony Kappes & Jonathan Norfolk GBR
beat
Ralf Arnold & Jan Ratze GER

The second heat saw Jackson and Storey nip inside their Irish opponents with a lap and a half to go and lead it out to win by a couple of lengths. Simon Jackson even had time to encourage the crow with a wave of the arm with a lap to go - not exactly textbook, but very popular with the vocal post-lunch throng.

Simon Jackson & Barney Storey GBR
beat
Micheal Delaney & David Peelo IRL

The third heat was a very simple race for the German duo who simply had too much for the Columbians and defended with some comfort from the front.

Achim Moll & Torsten Goliasch GER
beat
Carlos Alberto Arciniegas & Juan Carlos Carrero COL

The Aussies used similar tactics to win the final heat. They got themselves to the front with three laps to go and simply wound it up and held the Poles at about a length for the rest of race.

Ben MacFie & Lindsay McMaster AUS
beat
Adrian Juszczyk & Dariusz Nowak POL

Men's Tandem Semi Finals
Semi 1: The Aussie duo went to the front from the start, but when Kappes and Norfolk dived under them with three to go they had no answer. The GB pair quickly opened a 5 length lead, which they then held with ease to the line, easing up as they went.

Anthony Kappes & Jonathan Norfolk GBR
beat
Ben MacFie & Lindsay McMaster AUS

Semi 2: The second semi was a minor classic, with Jackson & Storey coming over the Germans to grab the lead, only for the Germans to come straight back at them and almost grab it back. Storey has one of the best sprint brains in the business and he just reacted in time, forcing the Germans to stay wide and then coming back up their inside. Once back on the front the GB duo were in the clear, though the Germans pushed them every inch of the way to the line.

Simon Jackson & Barney Storey GBR
beat
Achim Moll & Torsten Goliasch GER

Men's Tandem Finals

Yes! Norfolk and Kappes take the win from Storey and Jackson

 

Tandem Podium: L to R - Ben MacFie & Lindsay McMaster, Jonathan Norfolk & Anthony Kappes, Simon Jackson & Barney Storey

On paper the tandem final line-up was mouth-watering and the reality lived up to it. Kappes and Norfolk went to the front but Jackson and Storey marked them very closely, never more than a wheel-width behind. However, in a straight-line drag all the stats suggest that Norfolk and Kappes are the quicker pairing by a small but significant margin. In the light of that, perhaps Storey and Jackson left their move a little late, as they tried to come round the outside with 2 laps to go, with the pace already high. They tried the move twice, but although they succeeded in hanging on to their opponents' rear wheel, they couldn't really pressurise them and had to give best by a length at the line. It's easy to be wise from the comfort of the stands, but it was a great race to watch and perhaps a taster of many more clashes to come as the obviously very talented Simon Jackson improves, as he most certainly will.

In the bronze medal match, the Aussies had just a bit too much for the German pair, though it was close in the last lap as both teams wound it up.

Ride-off for Gold
Anthony Kappes & Jonathan Norfolk GBR

beat

Simon Jackson & Barney Storey GBR

Ride-off for bronze
Ben MacFie & Lindsay McMaster AUS
beat
Achim Moll & Torsten Goliasch GER

Other Tandem Results

Men's Tandem Ride-Off for 5-7th
It's not often you see three tandems on the track and this ride-off was a treat to watch as the brave Columbians switched this way and that and worked themselves into a race which they seemed out of when blocked at the back with 2 to go. They couldn't quite finish the job, but it was a fine, if slightly alarming, race to watch!

5. Ralf Arnold & Jan Ratze GER
6. Carlos Alberto Arciniegas & Juan Carlos Carrero COL
7. Adrian Juszczyk & Dariusz Nowak POL

Men's Tandem Sprint 9-12 Repechage

Arnold Polderman & Patrick Nas NED
beat
Vergeylen & Vann FRA

Andrew Fitzgerald & John Lynch IRL
beat
Emil Stopierzynski & Lukasz Tunkiewicz POL

Men's Tandem Sprint 11-12 Place ride-off

Emil Stopierzynski & Lukasz Tunkiewicz POL
beat
Vergeylen & Vann FRA

Men's Tandem Sprint 9-10 Place ride-off

Arnold Polderman & Patrick Nas NED
beat
Andrew Fitzgerald & John Lynch IRL

Men's Team Sprint Qualification

GB going for it in qualifying as Darren Kenny peels off the front

First team to show in the Team Sprint Qualification round was China, who looked technically perfect, holding a great line throughout and working very well as a team, recording 51.119s, less than second off GB's world record.

The GB B team looked a bit ring-rusty, with Rick Whaddon dropping the Russell White and Simon Richardson on the first lap, leaving them too much to do, though their time of just under 56 seconds was still more than respectable.

However, all else was eclipsed by the GB A Team of Kenny, Bristow and Cundy who took 9 hundredths off the world record in recording 50.068. They worked like a well-oiled machine, keeping close formation and all contributing hugely to a very fine ride.

Czech Republic 53.342s
China 51.119
Germany 54.869
Great Britain B (Rik Whaddon, Russell White, Simon Richardson) 55.903
Great Britain A (Kenny, Bristow, Cundy) 50.068 WR
Spain 59.723

Men's Team Sprint Finals

GB top the podium, with Cundy, Kenny and Bristow

The gold-medal final saw the GB team change the line-up with Cundy and Bristow switching positions, with Bristow taking the anchor leg. Again they looked very well drilled as well as extremely quick and they had a third of second on their rivals after a lap, a margin they matched over the remaining two laps to come in with a new world record and the first sub-50 second ride in this event. For the record, their time was 49.958s!

In the bronze medal final, the Czech Republic were too slick for their German opponents, proving once again that this event is as much about team-work as it is about raw speed.

Ride-off For Gold

Great Britain (Kenny, Cundy, Bristow) 49.958
Beat
China 50.646


Ride off for Bronze

Czech Republic 52.911
beat
Germany 55.556

Women's 3km Pursuit Finals LC1/LC2/CP4

Clare MacLean finished fourth

Sarah Storey - gold the 3km pursuit

 

The final of the Women's Pursuit was a collector's item, with Fang Zhou deciding that she couldn't beat Sarah Storey by traditional tactics and countering with a very aggressive approach to the race, attacking her with a very fast start. She very rapidly closed Storey down to perhaps 60 metres, but perhaps inevitably the Chinese rider couldn't quite finish the job and she blew quite spectacularly, with Storey able to catch her within the 2nd kilometre.

Gold Medal Ride-Off

Sarah Storey GBR
caught
Ju Fang Zhou CHN

Bronze Medal Ride-Off

Greta Neimans USA
caught
Clare McLean AUS

Women's 3km Pursuit Finals LC3/LC4/CP3 Female

Another very polished ride by Nathalie Simanowski gave her the gold medal, as she caught her opponent, Tang, within 80 seconds. American Alison Jones won a much closer race to claim the bronze medal by less than 2 seconds from compatriot Barbara Buchan.

Gold-Medal Ride-Off
Nathalie Simanowski
caught
Qi Tang CHN

Bronze Medal Ride-Off
Alison Jones USA 4.42.910
beat
Barbara Buchan USA 4.44.224

Women's 3km Tandem Pursuit Finals

McGlynn (left) and Hunter on top of the podium

The final of the Women's Tandem 3km Pursuit was pretty one-sided as the GB pairing of McGlynn and Hunter simply looked to be in a different class and soon after the 2km point they caught their opponents, by which time it was clear they were on a world record pace and despite having to come round the Kiwis, they kept it together to slice a tenth of a second off the record, with a superb time of, 3.36.752.

The ride-off for Bronze saw a great fight-back by the Irish duo of Walsh and Hickey, who took the lead from the Chinese in the final kilo in a gutsy well-paced ride.

Ride-off for gold
Aileen McGlynn & Ellen Hunter GBR 3.36.752
caught
Jane Parsons & Annaliisa Farrell NZL

Ride-off for bronze
Catherine Walsh & Joanna Hickey IRL 3.56.284
beat
Yi Mei Xu & Li Fang Pan CHN 3.56.464

Men's Tandem 4km Challenges
A neat diversion at the end of the World Cup programme was a closely contested Tandem challenge with the GB pairing of Ian Sharpe and Paul Hunter recording the fastest time.

Carlos Alberto Arciniegas & Juan Carlos Carrero COL 3.36.142
beat
Arnold Polderman & Patrick Nas NED 3.41.810

Ian Sharpe & Paul Hunter GB 3.25.619
beat
Micheal Delaney & David Peelo IRL 3.34.762