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SAINT-QUENTIN-en-YVELINES, France — Kelsey Mitchell, Sarah Orban and Lauriane Genest roared to an Olympic record in the women’s team sprint Monday at the National Velodrome.
That lasted about three minutes until New Zealand’s three cyclists took to the track.
The Canadians’ mark of 47.578 seconds evaporated as the world record fell five times and a Summer Games standard on the men’s side disappeared in an eye-opening first day at a venue with the heat cranked up to help racing conditions.
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Earlier this year, the women’s team sprint event grew from two riders to three. Canada, drawing the No. 1 spot in the opening race, was first to put its wheels on the Olympic track here.
Great Britain won the gold-medal race over the Kiwis in a blazing fast 45.186 and the Canadians ended up eighth.
“We got to start the Olympics off, that was cool,” said Mitchell, the gold medalist in the individual sprint three years ago at Tokyo, “and we got to set an Olympic record because there were never three women before in the team sprint. We would want a better result, but we’re focused definitely on the sprinting here.
“That’s where we have more potential for medals.”
Canada is in the beginning stages of the team sprint. It booked its Olympic berth during a last-gasp qualification race and requires better team dynamics, more focus on the start and a mastery of the more technical aspects of racing.
“We have some of the most powerful women on Earth,” Canadian track sprint lead coach Franck Durivaux said. “The numbers are crazy. Now, how it appears on the track, that’s a different question. It’s the same as a car. Try to put a Ferrari engine on, I don’t know, a Fiat 500, for example.”
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All that power needs to be harnessed properly.
Mitchell admitted she was excited watching the other countries compete.
“It’s incredible to see the women going as fast — like world record after world record,” the 30-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., said. “It’s just going to keep getting faster. We need to step up or step out, I guess.”
But for now, it’s about resting the legs for the medal hunt.
“I’m happy I have (Tuesday) off,” Mitchell said.
BIBIC CONFIDENT
The Canadian men qualified for the first round of the team pursuit and team sprint being contested Tuesday.
Dylan Bibic was still a teenager when he won the 2022 world title in the men’s scratch event on this same track and is bringing a swagger to his first Olympics.
“I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be,” the 21-year-old from Streetsville said. “My job’s not done. I want a gold medal and we’ll see what happens (with team pursuit). My confidence in myself is unmatched, I’d say.
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“I know I’m capable of anything I put my mind to.”
He will be the youngest cyclist in the Omnium event starting Thursday. That hardly registers.
“It doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Age is just a number. I still need to win, right? I feel good. If I play my cards right, I’ll win. (As a kid) I would always win bike races and would look around and say, ‘Yeah, I can beat them.’
“I just carry that around with me.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-06 00:57:12
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Author : pksportsnews
Publish date : 2024-08-06 04:40:56
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