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Jess Varnish continued her flawless form at this year’s British National Track Championships with victory in the women’s team sprint, while Jason Kenny cruised to gold in the individual men’s sprint.
There was also a surprise victory for Corrine Hall in the women’s scratch race, after the Matrix Fitness RA rider fended off fearsome competition from Wiggle Honda pairing Laura Trott (Wiggle-Honda) and Dani King (Wiggle-Honda), who finished second and third.
Kenny (Sky Track Cycling), the 2010 champion, coasted to victory in the first leg against Performance Cycle Coaching’s Peter Mitchell to take a 1-0 lead and temper any hopes of an upset.
The second leg saw Mitchell bravely attack from the front, but a devastating burst of speed from Kenny sealed the gap and enabled the Olympic champion to surge past his opponent in the home straight and take the title 2-0. The bronze medal went to Matthew Crampton, who edged out Craig MacLean (Liverpool Mercury (Dolan) CC) in a hotly contested scrap.
After adding to the keirin title he seized on Friday, Kenny said: "I’m absolutely over the moon. It's the first race on wood, because we've been training on concrete over the summer, so I was only just finding my feet towards the end of the night. Winning is a habit, so let’s hope we can carry it on through to the world cup."
Varnish and teammate Dannielle Khan ensured the former rider’s serene progress through the championships continued by claiming the women’s team sprint title with a blistering time of 33:852.
Speaking after the win, an ebullient Khan paid tribute to Varnish’s dedication: “I think it’s just down to hard work. She had a back injury after London and she had to have four months out.
“She’s just starting to get back the amazing form she had last year at the Olympics, and she deserves it because she’s such a lovely, lovely girl.”
The title is Varnish’s third of the week, following successes in the 500 metre time trial and the individual women’s sprint.
The evening’s earlier proceedings saw the men’s team pursuit title pass to the jubilant Wheelbase Altura-MGD quartet of Adam Duggleby, Timothy Lawson, Jacob Ragan and Alistair Rutherford, who crushed Prestige VC in the final with a superbly controlled performance timed at 4:19:454.
VC St Raphael clinched bronze in the competition, after holding off the challenge from Team Sportscover in the third and fourth place race.
The women’s under 16 madison saw Megan Barker, younger sister of team pursuit world champion Elinor, seal a first national champion’s jersey alongside partner Jessica Roberts (Cardiff Ajax CC), after the pair lapped the field. The male under 16 title went to a beaming Joseph Fry and Joey Walker (RST Racing Team).
Tickets are still available for the final session of the championships tomorrow, which sees the indomitable Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott, Dani King and Elinor Barker tackle the women’s team pursuit over four-kilometre for the very first time.
Results
Men’s sprint
Women’s scratch
Male U16 Madison
Men’s team pursuit
Women’s team sprint
Female U16 Madison
Male U16 Madison
