Published October 21, 2021 01:24AM
Day 1 track worlds: Jennifer Valente medals in scratch race
Germany won the women's team sprint while the Dutch won its fourth straight title in men's sprint in the first day of racing in Roubaix.
Italy's Martina Fidanza (C) poses with her gold medal with silver medalist Netherlands' Maike van der Duin (L) and bronze medallist USA's Jennifer Valente during the podium ceremony of the women's Scratch Race during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. (Photo: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI)
Jennifer Valente powered to bronze in the women’s scratch race for USA Cycling in the opening day of competition in the 2021 track cycling world championships Wednesday in France.
Valente, who won gold in the omnium in the Tokyo Olympic Games, led the chase behind Martina Fidanza of Italy, who won with a late-race attack. Valente was pipped at the line by Maike van der Duin, who won silver.
Also read:
- Everything you need to know about the 2021 track worlds
- Portrait of a champion: Valente’s long road to gold
Germany set a new world record in the three-rider women’s team sprint final in the first day of racing at the 2021 track cycling world championships on Wednesday, while the Netherlands added the men’s title to their Olympic gold medal.
The German trio of Lea Friedrich, Pauline Grabosch and Emma Hinze comfortably saw off the Russian Cycling Federation by 0.654 seconds despite trailing early on in Roubaix. Britain beat Japan to take bronze.
Friedrich and Hinze were the pair who lost out to China, absent from the event on Wednesday, in the Olympic final.
The Dutch continued their domination of men’s track sprinting as Roy van den Berg, Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen crushed hosts France in the team final to win the gold for a fourth straight year.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was the same Dutch trio who ended Britain’s Olympic reign in the event earlier this year in Tokyo. France edged out the Russians to seal their second medal.
Racing continues Thursday with several U.S. cyclists in action. Madalyn Godby and Mandy Marquardt compete in sprint competition, while Gavin Hoover lines up in the scratch race. Kendall Ryan will race in the elimination race.
— AFP contributed to this report