Women Team Sprint

 

2008 World Track Championships - Day 2

In the absence of the Dutch team, who opted to concentrate on the individual sprint events, the defending champions, GB, faced their stiffest opposition from the Chinese team. However, in qualifying, the team of Shanaze Reade and Victoria Pendleton went three quarters of a second faster than all their rivals, establishing a new world best for the event.

Come the final and the Chinese made a great start and led for much of the fist lap, but once Vicky Pendleton got going on the last lap it was all GB as she brought them home in 33.661, over half a second up in the end. It was the third gold medal for the GB Team of the evening and cheered with every bit as much enthusiasm as the others. The Germans too the Bronze medal always having a little too much for the French duo.

 

Ride-off for Gold

Great Britain (PENDLETON Victoria, READE Shanaze) 33..661
beat
China (GONG Jinjie, ZHENG Lulu) 34.223

Ride-off for Bronze

Germany (GLoss Dana, WELTE Miriam) 34.135
beat
France (CLAIR Sandie, CUEFF Virginie) 34.165

Rider Reaction

Victoria Pendleton: “This is excellent. I had no idea what we were going to do exactly, going into the competition because we never really trained for it that much. I did have a couple of injuries as all athletes do in their career and that held me back a bit and I wasn’t sure if I was on target but now I feel quite happy.”

 

“I felt really good out there. I wasn’t sure At first  because I couldn’t really feel my legs but that’s a good sign. It is nice to know where you are when you have been resting up in a taper for a few days. It’s been a fantastic start and you ask for more with world records. We weren’t going to hit this event as hard as the Olympics but everything is going our way so that is really positive.”

 

Shanaze:  “I’m really speechless, to break the world record again with an amazing athlete like Victoria. It’s a massive achievement and to get a PB for my lap as well, I feel part of the team. It’s unbelievable.”

 

“I take life a week at a time but in the future, I could become a track cyclist. I do though have a triple world champion on the track with me to compete with so for the moment, BMX will be my main focus for 2008.”

 

“I looked at my splits for the 500 last night and I think I was winning or second for a lap and half and for me that is a massive achievement. I got 7th overall which was slightly worse than last year but went out with a faster lap. Then today I went out with a  world record time for the lap and for me it was all about the team sprint. It's only if Victoria doesn’t do the 500 that I step in.”

Photos from the final

GB get off the line very smartly.

Standing ovation!

Second for the Chinese.

Bronze medal winners Germany.

Fourth for the French

The GB riders are strapped in for the ride of their life in the final for Gold at Manchester 2008!

 

Gold again!

 

Qualification

1. Great Britain (PENDLETON Victoria, READE Shanaze) 33.186
2. China (GONG Jinjie, ZHENG Lulu) 33.943
3. Germany (GLoss Dana, WELTE Miriam) 34.135
4. France (CLAIR Sandie, CUEFF Virginie) 34.165
5. Russia (GRANKOWSKAJA Swetlana, GRISHINA Oksana) 34.867
6. Italy (ALESSIO Valentina, FRISONI Elisa) 35.414
7. Thailand (LUEKAJORH Wathinee, MANEEPHAN Jutatip) 37.752

Caption competition perhaps for these Italian girls comparing shoe covers!