Great Britain took three medals on the second day of the UEC Elite Track European Championships in Guadeloupe on Thursday, with gold in the men’s and women’s team pursuit and bronze in the men’s scratch race.
After setting the fastest time in Wednesday’s qualifying session, the quartet of Ed Clancy, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull and Andy Tennant beat Switzerland by over four seconds in the semi-final to earn a place in the gold medal ride-off against Germany, who had overcome Russia in their semi-final heat.
Come the final and it would a case of who would back up better and it was Germany who started strongest, ahead through the first three laps. However Henning Bommel, Theo Reinhardt, Nils Schomber and Kersten Thiele faded as Great Britain remained consistent, Clancy, Dibben, Doull and Tennant stopping the clock at 4:11.545 to claim gold by almost a second.
Great Britain’s team pursuit women were even more convincing. After Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott set the fastest qualifying time on Wednesday, Ciara Horne was swapped in for Rowsell in the semi-final, with the squad beating Germany by over four seconds to earn a place in the final against Russia.
Russia started hot and were ahead of Great Britain after the first kilometre but Archibald, Barker, Horne and Trott stuck to their schedule and were back ahead after two kilometres, eventually posting 4:38.391 to take gold, beating Tamara Balabolina, Irina Molicheva, Aleksandra Goncharova and Evgenia Romanyuta by almost seven seconds.
Great Britain’s third medal came in the men’s scratch race, with Ed Clancy taking bronze behind winner, Belgium’s Otto Vergaerde and Spain’s Eloy Teruelrovira, who had both taken a lap. Great Britain's Mark Christian was 21st.
Lewis Oliva, Matt Crampton and Callum Skinner were sixth in the men’s team sprint, their time of 1:01.377 just two tenths shy of a medal ride, with the European title going to Germany’s Robert Forstemann, Tobias Wachter and Joachim Eilers.
Great Britain’s Katy Marchant and Rosie Blount placed seventh in the women's event.
The second day of competition also saw the women’s points race, with Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald 14th and 16th respectively, Eugenia Bujak of Poland taking the European title.
Action continues on Friday with the women’s sprint, men’s sprint, men’s omnium, women’s scratch race and men’s points race.
Results
Men's team pursuit semi-finals
Men's team pursuit finals
Women's team pursuit semi-finals
Women's team pursuit finals
Men's team sprint finals
Women's team sprint finals
Men's scratch race final
Women's points race final
