CANADA CLAIMS BRONZE IN THE WOMEN’S TEAM SPRINT ON FIRST DAY OF MILTON TRACK NATIONS CUP
Milton, ON (May 12, 2022) – Canadian athletes set the stage for a great weekend of racing on the first day of the Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup, with the team winning bronze in the women’s Team Sprint and placing 4th and 5th respectively in the women’s and men’s Team Pursuit competitions.
The Team Sprint squad comprised of Olympic Sprint gold medallist Kelsey Mitchell, Keirin Olympic bronze medallist Lauriane Genest, Sarah Orban and Jackie Boyle kicked off the evening session by setting the third fastest time, before going on to win their heat against Poland to qualify for the bronze medal final against Great Britain. The Canadian squad proved to be stronger than their opponents in the final heat of the day, taking home Canada’s first medal of the event.
“We’re happy to walk away with a bronze, especially in front of a home crowd,” said Mitchell. “We heard them cheering every time we went up there and it definitely helped give us the legs that we needed. We all gave it our best and it’s awesome to see that there’s four of us that are strong and competing for spots on the team. It’s amazing to watch the program grow and the depth that we have really is phenomenal.”
Canada Women’s Team Sprint finished third to claim the bronze medal
Photo credit: Ivan Rupes
On the endurance side, the women’s Team Pursuit squad of Ariane Bonhomme, Devaney Collier, Ngaire Barraclough and Sarah Van Dam finished 4th in the bronze medal final against the United States after qualifying first earlier in the day with a time of 4:22.325. The men’s development squad comprised of Olympian Michael Foley, Evan Burtnik, Sean Richardson, Jackson Kinniburgh and Junior World Champion Dylan Bibic delivered a personal best ride and were only one second away from qualifying for the bronze medal final, ultimately placing 5th.
Tomorrow, female athletes will be tackling the Sprint, Scratch Race, Individual Pursuit and Elimination Race, while the men will be competing in the Kilo, Scratch Race and Elimination Race. Tickets are still available for all sessions at Milton’s Mattamy National Cycling Centre and fans at home can follow the evening competitions via CBC Sports.
