KELSEY MITCHELL WINS BRONZE AT THE HONG KONG WORLD CUP

Hong Kong (December 2, 2019) – Team Canada had a successful campaign at the third round of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong over the weekend, with Kelsey Mitchell winning a bronze medal in the Sprint competition. Over the span of three days, the team, which was comprised of both veterans and NextGen athletes, secured a total of five top-10 results.

After setting a new world record earlier this year, RBC Training Ground athlete Kelsey Mitchell managed to win her first World Cup medal after setting the second fastest time in qualifying. Mitchell breezed through the first three rounds, winning against her opponents in two solid rides, before losing against Emma Hinze of Germany in the semi finals. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native faced Olena Starikova of Ukraine in the bronze medal final and Mitchell narrowly edged out her rival to finish in third place.

“I am really happy about my bronze medal in the sprint. I was lucky enough to get to go to three rides in both my semi and final rides so it made for a very long and difficult day,” said Mitchell. “I left everything I had out there in the final ride and was able to walk away with a 0.002 second victory and a bronze medal.”

In other results, the NextGen men’s Team Pursuit squad finished with a solid sixth place, while Hugo Barrette secured eighth in the men’s Keirin, only a few months after breaking his collarbone. In the women’s Keirin, Lauriane Genest finished ninth, while Kelsey Mitchell finished just behind her in tenth place. The Track World Cup series continues next weekend in Cambridge, New Zealand.