2007 UCI World Track Championships

 

29th of March to 1st April
Palma de Mallorca

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Women's Individual Pursuit

 

Report

 

 

Finals: The USA's Sarah Hammer had just a bit too much for Rebecca Romero in the Women's Pursuit final, retaining her title and in the process almost dipping beneath 3 minutes 30 seconds. But what a step up for Romero to find herself in the final and coming away with a silver from her first Worlds! She looked superb on the bike, coping with the pressure very well and looking like she was riding her tenth worlds, not her first. Wendy Houvenaghel was disappointed in her ride-off for bronze when breathing difficulties hampered her ride, losing out to Katie Mactier of Australia.

 

 

Reactions from the GB riders:

Rebecca Romero “It is a strange situation to be in. In rowing there would be six of us all gunning for the medals and then to be in the situation I was in during qualifying I was absolutely astonished. I knew I had done an amazing time and I just wanted to see what the big guns would pull out and was amazed to be in the ride off for gold and silver.”

 

“I thought if I went out there and did a good ride then I might hopefully rumble Sarah Hammer because she’s human. Doing a ‘31’ has put me in the big league and then to do a 33 which was a great way to finish this off. A year ago I was wobbling all over the place and here I am looking forward to next year as a proper bike rider.”

 

“This is a different game and I put myself out here knowing the performance was up to me and its great that I can say if you fall, its your own doing and if you win, the same goes. That was where the pressure was coming from coming into this race. I knew I had to perform. I said when I started this project that I will make it work, and I have. I am very proud of what I have done.”

 

“I put a large part of my success coming so quickly the programme but also I would attribute a huge percentage to myself because I actually search for the right way of doing elite training that I thought was right and Dave Brailsford and Dan Hunt  have given me the opportunity by putting the belief in me to be able to do it and laying down everything I need as an athlete that has really enabled me to do this.”

 

Wendy: A disappointed but still smiling Wendy Houvenaghel told us of the injury she has been trying to keep quiet for a few weeks so her opponents would not hear about it. “I don’t want this to sound like I’m making excuses but for the last 10 days to two weeks have been a little bit fraught with obstacles shall we say.

 

I still went out there and gave it 100 per cent. I  know there is more in me than I showed today and did my best under the circumstances. My intercosal muscle strain in the ribs will just have to heal up as its affects my breathing. Its been hampering my own mental approach to the competition although I have tried to block it out.”

 

“It was also tough going to a final for a medal with an ex World Champion, Commonwealth Games champion. That was another thing I had to contend with. Had it been any other rider, it may have been less stressful for me but I knew a ride off against Katie would not be easy.”

 

Wendy agrees though that with the Olympics round the corner, there is a lot to play for. “The long term goal is the Beijing Olympics because I had set out a few stepping stones on the road to Beijing for the next 12 months and this was the combination of those 12 months and the goal was to get a second ride. So I was pleased to get that second ride and I imagine over the next 14 months  I will step up onto the podium during my preparation for the Beijing event.”

 

Talking more about how being on the GB programme has helped her, Wendy says “I have had a good consistent run of the World Cups that I have been entered for and I have come away from each of them really pleased with my progress. And I hope with the same amount of progress over the next 12 months I should be one of the main contenders.”

Gold 1 HAMMER Sarah USA 3:30.213 51.376
beat
Silver 2 ROMERO Rebecca GBR 3:33.409 50.607

 

Bronze 3 MACTIER Katie AUS 3:36.306 49.929
beat
4 HOUVENAGHEL Wendy GBR 3:37.406

Qualifying: Where do you start with this story? First up, defending champion Sarah Hammer of the USA went some six seconds faster than she did winning the title last year, to qualify fastest for the final of the Women's Pursuit.

 

However, just half a second behind her was Britain's Rebecca Romero (pictured) who not only did a personal best by a vast distance (nearly five seconds), she also shattered Wendy Houvenaghel's national record, set just over a month ago in Manchester. Wendy herself qualified fourth fastest to make it into the ride-off for bronze.

 

For Romero, it's a breakthrough on a grand scale. She was recovering from illness at the World Cup a month ago, but no-one outside the team will have seen this staggering step forward coming. We all know about her former life as a rower, but athletes rarely reach the very top of two sports as different as cycling and rowing.

 

Health and fitness willing, the Rebecca Romero story looks set to take off as we approach the Beijing Olympics. For now she has to settle down to the business of riding her first ever final - and with just a half second between Hammer and Romero, it's all set to be a good old fashioned test of nerve as well as fitness.

 

 

Afterwards we got to get some quick quotes from the riders who had this to say:

 

Rebecca Romero (above) was still in shock well after the ride, words failing to describe how she felt. “The whole race for me was a shock” she explained as she left the venue. “I was in shock when I caught the French girl, so shocked I didn’t even know how many laps I had done. It went by so quickly and I guess that is what a race should be like when its on the edge.”

 

The second fastest qualifier admitted that she rode on how she felt and was well up on her schedule . “I was having to press a bit on the last few laps and I’ll go back  to the hotel and do a bit of analysis and weigh up it from there. I know I was ill before Manchester, and you err on the side of caution but I didn’t expect to make that big a jump in my times and this is what sport is about, I love it!”

 

Afterwards Wendy Houvenaghel said “I was disappointed with the time as I know I can ride better than that but I’m pleased to have made the final for a medal and will give it 100%.”

 

Wendy racing in her World Cup Winners skin suit.

 

Results

Qualifying

1 HAMMER Sarah USA 3:31.359
2 ROMERO Rebecca GBR 3:31.894
3 MACTIER Katie AUS 3:35.033
4 HOUVENAGHEL Wendy GBR 3:35.289
5 THܒIG Karin SUI 3:36.126
6 CALLE WILLIAMS Maria Luisa COL 3:36.971
7 KALITOVSKA Lesya UKR 3:37.334
8 SHANKS Alison NZL 3:37.710
9 JOOS Verena GER 3:38.821
10 KOZLIKOVA Lada CZE 3:39.295
11 SEREIKAITE Vilija LTU 3:40.412
12 KLEINMANN Larissa GER 3:40.727
13 BATES Katherine AUS 3:40.771
14 MONCASSIN PRIME Cathy FRA 3:40.984
15 SCHMIDT Trine DEN 3:41.280
16 OLABERRIA DORRONSORO Leire ESP 3:41.972
17 BINNENDIJK Marlijn NED 3:43.343
18 SLYUSAREVA Olga RUS 3:43.759
19 BOCHKAROVA Elizaveta UKR 3:44.680
20 LI Meifang CHN 3:45.651
21 RUZICKOVA Martina CZE 3:46.193
22 VALEN Anita NOR 3:49.392
23 WANG Li CHN 3:49.943
24 DAY Neva USA 3:50.997