The third day at the Velodrome National in Saint Quentin en Yveline saw the women sprinters take to the track for their qualification and the opening rounds of the Women’s Sprint World Championship. The opening session also saw two Individual Pursuits – qualification for the Women’s World Championship and the Men’s Omnium competition – as well as the Men’s Omnium Scratch Race.

Women’s Sprint

Qualification

The beginning of the third day of the world championships began with the women’s sprint qualifiers. The event featured a formidable start sheet, with reigning champion Kristina Vogel (Germany) facing competition from last year’s silver medallist, Tianshi Zhong (China) and Britain’s Jessica Varnish, who finished fourth in Cali 2014.

Elis Ligtlee of the Netherlands, who finished down in fifteenth spot in 2014, has seen a huge improvement in form over the past year: she is triple Dutch champion in the 500m TT, the Keirin and sprint, and triumphed in the World Cup in Cali.30 riders were on the startsheet for the qualifying, with the fastest 24 progressing to the 1/16 finals.

Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania, who started thirteenth, was the first rider to break the 11 second barrier with a time of 10.902. Britain’s Jessica Varnish was the next to steal the lead posting a time of 10.804. Anna Meares, who had showed a glimpse of past form in the 500m time trial, could only post a time behind Varnish’s (10.849) and slower than teammate Stephanie Morton who stopped the clock in 10.754.

Zhong then took the opportunity to stamp her authority on the event with a time of 10.627 but it was the rising star, Ligtlee, who almost unseated Zhong from the fastest finish so far with an impressive time of 10.732. Kristina Vogel, the final rider, started her defence of her title safely with a time of 10.770.

Qualification Results

1 Tianshi ZHONG (China) 10.627 Q
2 Elis LIGTLEE (Netherlands) 10.732 Q
3 Stephanie MORTON (Australia) 10.754 Q
4 Kristina VOGEL (Germany) 10.770 Q
5 Shuang GUO (China) 10.784 Q
6 Jessica VARNISH (Great Britain) 10.804 Q
7 Anna MEARES (Australia) 10.849 Q
8 Anastasia VOYNOVA (Russia) 10.870 Q
9 Simona KRUPECKAITE (Lithuania) 10.902 Q
10 Wai Sze LEE (Hong Kong) 10.932 Q
11 Victoria WILLIAMSON (Great Britain) 10.935 Q
12 Virginie CUEFF (France) 10.960 Q
13 Tania CALVO BARBERO (Spain) 11.004 Q
14 Monique SULLIVAN (Canada) 11.016 Q
15 Miriam WELTE (Germany) 11.034 Q
16 Olga HUDENKO (Russia) 11.066 Q
17 Fatehah MUSTAPA (Malaysia) 11.108 Q
18 Lisandra GUERRA RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) 11.121 Q
19 Victoria TYUMNEVA (Russia) 11.146 Q
20 Stephanie MCKENZIE (New Zealand) 11.155 Q
21 Luz Daniela GAXIOLA GONZALEZ (Mexico) 11.200 Q
22 Helena CASASROIGE (Spain) 11.249 Q
23 Sandie CLAIR (France) 11.253 Q
24 Yesna RIJKHOFF (Netherlands) 11.266 Q
25 Diana Maria GARCIA ORREGO (Colombia) 11.286
26 Juliana GAVIRIA (Colombia) 11.307
27 Melissa ERICKSON (United States) 11.326
28 Kayono MAEDA (Japan) 11.406
29 Gintaré GAIVENYTE (Lithuania) 11.508
30 Takako ISHII (Japan) 11.590

1/16 Finals

The 1/16 finals, where the 24 qualifiers were seeded in 12 heats, went with form. All the favourites easily progressed to the 1/18 finals, although the closest margin of the day was between Great Britain’s Victoria Williamson and Canada’s Monique Sullivan which saw Williamson triumph by just six-thousandths of a second.

1/16 Finals – Winners of each heat who progress to the 1/8 Finals

1 Tianshi ZHONG (China)
2 Elis LIGTLEE (Netherlands)
3 Stephanie MORTON (Australia)
4 Kristina VOGEL (Germany)
5 Shuang GUO (China)
6 Jessica VARNISH (Great Britain)
7 Anna MEARES (Australia)
8 Anastasia VOYNOVA (Russia)
9 Simona KRUPECKAITE (Lithuania)
10 Wai Sze LEE (Hong Kong)
11 Victoria WILLIAMSON (Great Britain)
12 Tania CALVO BARBERO (Spain)

1/8 Finals

The 1/8 finals are run like the 1/16 finals, although the losers from each heat get a second chance in the repechages. Like the 1/16 finals, the heats went with form with the exception of the fifth where Shuang Guo of China was relegated for straying from her line. Varnish would undoubtedly be happy to dispatch Meares into the repechages.

Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania went on to qualify for the quarterfinals from the first heat, pushing Meares out of the competition by a hundredth of a second margin. Guo, meanwhile, showed that her relegation from her heat in the 1/8 final was not due to weakness and powered down the home straight to take the second repechage heat by nearly half a second.

1/8 Finals – Winners of each heat who progress to the Quarterfinals

1 Tianshi ZHONG (China)
2 Elis LIGTLEE (Netherlands)
3 Stephanie MORTON (Australia)
4 Kristina VOGEL (Germany)
5 Anastasia VOYNOVA (Russia)
6 Jessica VARNISH (Great Britain)

1/8 Finals Repechages – Winners of each heat who progress to the Quarterfinals

1 Simona KRUPECKAITE (Lithuania)
2 Shuang GUO (China)

Women’s Individual Pursuit Qualifying

Last year’s champion, Joanna Rowsell of Great Britain, was heading the line-up for the individual pursuit competition. However, she would undoubtedly be nervous by the presence of Amy Cure (Australia) who had taken the Team Pursuit Gold medal in a world record time the previous day as well as the improving Australian, Rebecca Wiasak, who earned podium positions in the individual pursuit in the 2013 World Cup and will be fully rested after not being part of the team pursuit squad in the previous evening.Jennifer Valente of the United States set the early mark in the second heat, crossing the line in a time of 3:29.547.

Her time was unchallenged until the fifth heat when Wiasak crossed the line in 3:27.018; her steady start clearly paying off. Katie Archibald of Great Britain rode an impressively consistent 12 laps to put herself in third place with 3:31.276, although her chances of a place in a medal final were dashed when Australia’s Amy Cure crossed the line in third place with 3:29.794 and teammate and reigning world champion, Rowsell, crossing the line in 3:31.371. Rowsell looked more fatigued than in previous individual pursuit races, with her long, powerful turns in the team pursuit the previous day perhaps taking their toll on the rider. However, with the pursuit qualifying over, it was clear that the rainbow stripes would be leaving British shores for either the United States or Australia with Rowsell left to contest for only the bronze.

Women’s Individual Pursuit Qualifying (Results)

1 Rebecca WIASAK (Australia) 3:27.018 (Qualifies for gold medal final)
2 Jennifer VALENTE (United States) 3:29.547 (Qualifies for gold medal final)
3 Amy CURE (Australia) 3:29.794 (Qualifies for bronze medal final)
4 Joanna ROWSELL (Great Britain) 3:31.171 (Qualifies for bronze medal final)
5 Katie ARCHIBALD (Great Britain) 3:31.276
6 Jasmin GLAESSER (Canada) 3:34.827
7 Jaime NIELSEN (New Zealand) 3:34.938
8 Marlies MEJIASGARCIA (Cuba) 3:35.570
9 Elise DELZENNE (France) 3:36.370
10 M
ieke KROEGER (Germany) 3:38.522
11 Georgia Amy WILLIAMS (New Zealand) 3:38.731
12 Maria Luisa CALLE WILLIAMS (Colombia) 3:39.592
13 Eugenia BUJAK (Poland) 3:39.636
14 Lotte KOPECKY (Belgium) 3:41.044
15 Edita MAZURE VICIUTE (Lithuania) 3:42.610
16 Edyta JASINSKA (Poland) 3:44.505
17 Silvia VALSECCHI (Italy) 3:45.324
18 Gloria RODRIGUEZ SANCHEZ (Spain) 3:45.409
19 Yao PANG (Hong Kong) 3:48.609

Men’s Omnium I (Scratch Race)

The 60-lap scratch race was the first event of the men’s omnium. France’s Thomas Boudat took the gold medal in Cali in 2014, and would be hoping to repeat the achievement on home soil. Last year’s silver and bronze medallists, Tim Veldt (Netherlands) and Viktor Manakov (Russia), would also be keen to seize a higher place on the podium and Ireland’s Martyn Irvine would be keen to improve on his poor performance in the scratch race the previous evening.

Great Britain’s hopes were pinned firmly in Jon Dibben who had notably performed well at the London round of the Track World Cup.Irvine looked like his fortunes may have turned when he broke away from the bunch with Chung Wing Leung. However, with three laps to go the bunch caught the pair – and went straight past them both which resulted in Irvine finishing in a disappointing second to last place. European omnium champion, Elia Vivani, crossed the line first ahead of Britain’s Dibben who will be happy with second place. Fernando Gaviria Rendon took third place.

Men’s Omnium I (Scratch Race) Results

1 Elia VIVIANI (Italy)
2 Jonathan DIBBEN (Great Britain)
3 Fernando GAVIRIA RENDON (Colombia)
4 Aaron GATE (New Zealand)
5 Jasper DE BUYST (Belgian)
6 Raman TSISHKOU (Belarus)
7 Gaël SUTER (Switzerland)
8 Thomas BOUDAT (France)
9 Gideoni RODRIGUES MONTEIRO (Brazil)
10 Casper PEDERSEN (Denmark)

Men’s Omnium II (Individual Pursuit)

Glenn O’Shea (Australia) rode the fastest time in the individual pursuit. O’Shea, one of Australia’s top team pursuiters, proved he is a force to be reckoned with in the individual event, crossing the line nearly three seconds faster than second placed Colombian, Fernando Gaviria Rendon.

Viktor Manakov of Russia rode 4:24.025 for third fastest time.Ireland’s hopes of a medal in the form of Martyn Irvine were improved slightly with Irvine riding a personal best of 3:26.767 for ninth place, whilst Great Britain’s Jonathan Dibben plummeted down the table after finishing fifth with a time of 4:29.845.

After two events, Colombia’s Gaviria was in first place with 74 points, with Jasper de Buyst of Belgium in second with 66. Vivani had managed to hold onto third spot, despite only managing tenth place in the pursuit.

Men’s Omnium II (Individual Pursuit) Results

1 Glenn O’SHEA (Australia) 4:20.807
2 Fernando GAVIRIA RENDON (Colombia) 4:23.567
3 Viktor MANAKOV (Russia) 4:24.025
4 Jasper DE BUYST (Belgium) 4:24.752
5 Gideoni RODRIGUES MONTEIRO (Brazil) 4:26.395
6 Thomas BOUDAT (France) 4:26.553
7 Raman TSISHKOU (Belarus) 4:26.660
8 Lucas LISS (Germany) 4:26.767
9 Martyn IRVINE (Ireland) 4:26.814
10 Elia VIVIANI (Italy) 4:27.067