KINLEY GIBSON FINISHES 8TH IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES POINTS RACE

Gold Coast, Australia, April 7, 2018 – Canada recorded three top-10 performances at the velodrome on the third day of competition in the Commonwealth Games.

Kinley Gibson was the top Canadian for the day, finishing eighth overall in the women’s Points Race. Gibson attacked solo in the first 15 laps of the 100 lap race and managed to take the maximum number of points in intermediate sprint before she was caught by the bunch. The gold medal was won by Wales’ Elinor Barker, who lapped the field. In other Canadian results, Steph Roorda was 19th and Allison Beveridge 22nd.

“I was pretty happy with my race today,” said Gibson. “I went in knowing that I didn’t have the turn of speed that is required to contest the sprints, so I wanted to follow wheels and try to get in as many smart moves as I could. If the opportunity presented itself, try and pick up some points. The field sat up and I saw a moment and went, and was able to pick up five points.”

The women’s 500 metre time trial saw two top-10 performances for Canada, with Lauriane Genest finishing ninth and Amelia Walsh tenth. Kaarle McCulloch of host Australia won the gold.

“This is one of my favourite events, and I was hoping for more than I did,” said Genest. “I tried to jump too early [out of the gate] and I wasn’t synchronized with the gate, so it destabilized me a bit at the start. I tried to go all out, but it was too late and I couldn’t make it up. So I’m going to keep working with the gate for the future.”

In other competitions Canada did not fare as well. Neither Michael Foley nor Aidan Caves finished the men’s Scratch Race, while sprinters Hugo Barrette and Stefan Ritter were both knocked out of the men’s sprint competition in the first round.

“I’ve never done a 9.8 [seconds] at sea level, so that was a PB for me,” said Ritter. “My plan was to execute if I had the lead and try to keep the pace high, because that suits me better. That’s exactly what I did, and I didn’t let [eventual bronze medalist Jacob Schmid] get a jump on me. Unfortunately, he came around me in the last couple of corners, but I gave it my all, and it is what it is.”