Women's Sprint
2008 World Track Championships - Day 3
Who says the media are not interested in cycle racing?
MEDAL FINALS
Final for Gold: Vicky Pendleton took the first heat of the final, keeping the pace high throughout and going from the front with a lap to go. Krupeckaite has been coming round opponents throughout the competiton, but Pendleton was just too quick for her, winning by a half length or more.
Second time out and Krupeckaite rode much smarter and gapped Pendleton with a lap to go and put her head down and charged for the line, Pendleton was out of the race with a third of a lap to go, but showed her amazing leg speed to suddenly accelerate again in the last bend and come round her astonished opponent to pip her on the line by a half bike length. It was a show of pure sprinting class.
Pendleton Victoria beat GBR Krupeckaite Simona LTU 2-0
Rider Reaction - Victoria Pendleton:
“It has been a difficult build up because I didn’t really know how fast I was going and I felt quite a lot of pressure from people and the media and I was trying to shut myself away a bit.” On her rival in the final, Victoria explained “I have raced against her before and when I raced her in Moscow she beat me. She has knocked me out of competitions and is a very strong rider but quite variable in form.”
“She was definitely not to be underestimated. I felt my form is the best its ever been in my entire life. Last year I hit a new high and I thought it would be a once in a lifetime experience but I just seem to be even stronger this time.”
“I have been fortunate in the past and not suffered many injuries and everything has been straightforward so I had new challenges this year dealing with that - it's so hard when you can’t train and you think you are losing it.”
Victoria gets a hug from her dad
On having her dad trackside to see her race, she says “really good. It’s the first time my dad has watched me at the world championships and I am glad he was able to step over into the stand and I could give him a hug. That means a lot to me.”
Looking ahead to the Women’s Keirin on the final day, she says “my legs feel really good and I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Tactically I am more afraid than physically.”
A moment of calm and reflection for Victoria in a hectic week
Final for Bronze: Reed took the first heat of the ride-off for bronze, holding off Guo though the final bend and powering over the line a half bike length clear. Guo took the second ride, taking the initiative with a lap to go, muscling her way to the front and not letting Reed have the chance to lead out, which she clearly loves to do. Guo then held on well to win by a bike length.
Guo Shuang CHN Reed Jennie USA 1-1
SEMI FINALS
Victoria Pendleton took the first heat against Jennie Reed of the USA, but was made to work very hard as Reed pushed her all over the track in an aggressive ride from the front and then almost held off the defending champion in the final bend. Second time round it was much easier for Vicky as she held back a little longer, keeping out of trouble, then surged round her opponent in the final bend, the American having no answer.
Simona Krupeckaite took the first heat against Guo Shuang, riding hard from the front showing once again the pure speed which has characterised her rides so far and which even a strong finisher like Guo had no answer to. The second heat was almost identical, with Krupeckaite once again simply too speedy.
Pendleton Victoria beat GBR Reed Jennie USA 2-0
Krupeckaite Simona LTU beat Guo Shuang CHN 2-0
Victoria Pendleton on her was to a new national record in qualifying
QUARTER FINALS
Vicky Pendleton won her first heat against Yvonne Hijgenaar by using her familiar leg speed to simply ride round her opponent in the last bend. Hijegenaar went for a long one in the second heat and almost caught Victoria cold, but the British rider chased her down and then blew her away in the closing half lap to progress to the Semi finals with something to spare.
Vicky Pendleton ready to pounce and beat Yvonne Hijgenaar in her quarter finals.
There was a surprise when Willy Kanis was simply out-dragged by Simona Krupeckaite in their first ride, but the result was overturned after the commissaries spotted the Lithuanian straying above the sprinters' line. Krupeckaite came back to take the second ride, going round Kanis with surprising ease and repeating the dose to claim her place in the semis. She looks much the most dangerous threat to Pendleton's crown.
The Guo Shuang against Sanchez clash saw Guo take the first heat easily, but lose the second on a Commissaires ruling when she came down onto her opponent, who actually did well to hold her up and prevent her from falling in the last corner. Guo made no such errors in the final heat, going round her opponent neatly to move into the semi-finals.
Guo Shuang and Clara Sanchez at a standstill as one tries to force the other to the front.
So close as the Chinese girls beats the French woman to go through to the semi finals.
Jennie Reed of the USA had too much speed for Cuba's Lisandra Guearra Rodriguez in the final quarter final, winning in two straight rides.
World Cup champion Willy Kanis is beaten by Simona Krupeckaite.
ROUND 2
Again Victoria Pendleton made untroubled progress to the next round, disposing of Clara Sanchez of France with a fast ride from the front on the last lap, her rival simply not having enough speed to stay with her, let alone pass her.
However the story of the round was a nasty crash in the final heat involving Willy Kanis NED and Natallia Tsylinskaya BLR. The latter lost her front wheel as they clashed on the penultimate bend and went down rather awkwardly on her back and neck. There was a long delay as Tsylinskaya was attended to and the medics decided to take their time and stretcher her off for further examination.
ROUND 1
The first round saw Victoria Pendleton make no mistake as she easily disposed of Russia's Anastasiya Chulkova. There was a shock when former champion Swetlana Grankowskaja of Russia went out to Germany's Christin Muche or Germany, who dipped under her in going into the last lap and held her off by half a wheel. Anna Blyth was unlucky to miss out, losing a very tight race to Clara Sanchez of France, just failing to come over the top of her rival.
Lisandra Guearra Rodriguez on her way to fifth in qualifying
QUALIFYING
Earlier, Victoria Pendleton put any doubts about her form behind her with a superb new national record in qualifying fastest in the women's sprint, recording 10.904, which is just outside Olga Slioussereva's world record of 10.831, which was set on the high-bankings of the Moscow track.
Also going through was Anna Blyth, who was 13th fastest, but Jess Varnish in her first senior worlds, just missed out with 11.756 for 26th overall - the top 24 went through to round 1.
Quarter Finals
Pendleton Victoria GBR beat Hijgenaar Yvonne NED 2-0
Guo Shuang CHN beat Sanchez Clara FRA 2-1
Krupeckaite Simona LTU beat Kanis Willy NED 2-1
Reed Jennie USA beat Guearra Rodriguez Lisandra CUB 2-0
Minor Final
5. Kanis Willy NED
6. Sanchez Clara FRA
7. Guearra Rodriguez Lisandra CUB
8. Hijgenaar Yvonne NED
Round 2
Pendleton Victoria GBR beat Sanchez Clara FRA
Guo Shuang CHN beat Zheng Lulu CHN
Krupeckaite Simona LTU beat Hijgenaar Yvonne NED
Reed Jennie USA beat Grishina Oksana RUS
Guearra Rodriguez Lisandra CUB beat Muche Christin GER
Kanis Willy NED beat Tsylinskaya Natallia BLR DNF
Round 2 Repechage
Heat 1 Sanchez Clara FRA beat Grishina Oksana RUS
Heat 2 Hijgenaar Yvonne NED beat Muche Christin GER & Zheng Lulu CHN
Round 1
Pendleton Victoria GBR beat Chulkova Anastasiya RUS
Krupeckaite Simona LTU beat Cueff Virginie FRA
Grishina Oksana RUS beat Gong Jinjie CHN
Guearra Rodriguez Lisandra CUB beat Welte Miriam GER
Kanis Willy NED beat Frisoni Elisa ITA
Tsylinskaya Natallia BLR beat Clair Sandie FRA
Muche Christin GER beat Grankowskaja Swetlana RUS
Reed Jennie USA beat McCulloch Kaarle AUS
Hijgenaar Yvonne NED beat Gloss Dana GER
Zheng Lulu CHN beat Shulika Lyubov UKR
Sanchez Clara FRA beat Blyth Anna GBR
Guo Shuang CHN beat Garcia Orrego Diana Maria COL
Qualification
1. Pendleton Victoria GBR 10.904 - new national & stadium record (world record is 10.831)
2. Guo Shuang CHN 11.002
3. Krupeckaite Simona LTU 11.093
4. Gong Jinjie CHN 11.152
5. Guearra Rodriguez Lisandra CUB 11.169
6. Kanis Willy NED 11.172
7. Tsylinskaya Natallia BLR 11.221
8. Grankowskaja Swetlana RUS 11.280
9. Reed Jennie USA 11.283
10. Hijgenaar Yvonne NED 11.298
11. Shulika Lyubov UKR 11.317
12. Sanchez Clara FRA 11.346
13. Blyth Anna GBR 11.354
14. Zheng Lulu CHN 11.416
15. Gloss Dana GER 11.416
16. McCulloch Kaarle AUS 11.417
17. Muche Christin GER 11.510
18. Clair Sandie FRA 11.542
19. Frisoni Elisa ITA 11.545
20. Welte Miriam GER 11.550
21. Grishina Oksana RUS 11.576
22. Cueff Virginie FRA 11.599
23. Garcia Orrego Diana Maria COL 11.605
24. Chulkova Anastasiya RUS 11.738
25. Alessio Valentina ITA 11.756
26. Varnish Jess GBR 11.756
27. Tsukuda Sakie JPN 12.268
28. Maneephan Jutatip THA 12.532
